Almost Half of America on Welfare

Townhall.com ^ | August 24, 2014 | Mike Shedlock

[Kaslin]

Breakdown by Category

• 82,679,000 Medicaid
• 51,471,000 Food Stamps
• 22,526,000 Women, Infants and Children Program
• 20,355,000 Supplemental Security Income
• 13,267,000 Public Housing or Housing Subsidies
• 5,442,000 Temporary Assistance to Needy Families
• 4,517,000 Other Forms of Federal Cash Assistance

Population Estimates (2013 estimates)

• California 38,332,521
• Texas 26,448,193
• New York 19,651,127
• Florida 19,552,860

Those four states have a population of 103,984,701. Those on welfare nearly totals that amount.

Full Time Employment



BLS figures show 115.735 million "usually" working full time at the end of 2012. There are currently 118.489 million "usually" working full time.

Obamacare Welfare Expansion

Inquiring minds may be asking "How did Obamacare effect welfare numbers?"

Let's take a look.

Anyone making up to 400% of the federal poverty minimum is eligible for some assistance. That's about 17 million according to the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Also note that 28 states expanded Medicaid under Obamacare: AZ, AR, CA, CO, DE, DC, HI, IL, IA, KY, MD, MA, MN, MA, NH, NV, NJ, UT, NM, NY, ND, OH, OR, PA, RI, VT, WA, WV.

On June 4, the US Department of Health and Human Services reported Medicaid Enrollment Shows Continued Growth in April.

"As of the end of April, 6 million more individuals were enrolled in Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) as compared to the period before the initial open enrollment under the Affordable Care Act started."

In addition to regular expansion of welfare, it's safe to conclude Obamacare expanded the welfare rolls by at least 23 million.

More will come.
Welfare vs. Full-Time Employment

Let's take the 2012 welfare total of 109,631,000 and add the 6 million Obamacare Medicaid expansion and the 17 million who get Obamacare subsidies and you have a minimum of 126 million receiving some sore of means-tested welfare vs. 118.5 million who "usually" work full time.

Welfare vs. Population

The 2013 US Population Estimate is 316 million.

Using 316 million as a rough estimate of the 2014 population (it would likely be higher) and 126 million on welfare (that number is also higher, perhaps way higher), about 40% of the country is on some form of means-tested welfare, up from 35.4% at the end of 2012.

Over 50% of the country gets welfare or some other form of non-means-tested assistance. I estimate about 56% or so.

Correction: I originally posted population of 4 states as the number on welfare in those 4 states.

[BenLurkin]

[ronnie raygun]

Thanks to zippy the a##clown

[BenLurkin]

[GrandJediMasterYoda]

Exactly why the unemployment percentage they keep feeding the public is absolute BS. I think last they stated it was at 6% ? What an absolute joke, why not just say 0% if they’re going to lie. I would say without a doubt it’s more like 25 to 30% probably even higher. I read a few months ago 92 million were unemployed which is 1/3rd of the population! If you discount children and elderly from the population of 300 million, what are we left with? Maybe 200 million? So then we are talking over 50% unemployment.

[GrandJediMasterYoda]

LOL! Perfectly describes it.

[griswold3]

Those that capture value outnumber those that create value.
It is the formula for economic decline.

[Popman]

bm

[econjack]

I think we need a workfare system. If you can fog a mirror and are collecting any form of assistance, you show up for work at 7AM, M-F, doing whatever the local gov’t says, from cleaning toilets to sweeping the streets. Small children is no excuse...some of the other welfare people will monitor your kids while you work on the toilets. You are also subject to random drug testing and if you are found positive, your benefits fall 10% and continue to fall each time you test positive. After 3 chances, you go to jail.

Also, someone please explain to me why the gov’t gives away free cell phones to welfare recipients...other than to buy votes with my money. Finally, why have my SS benefits only increased by one-tenth of one percent under Obozo's administration while public assistance benefits have increased 30%?

[buckalfa]

"Also, someone please explain to me why the gov’t gives away free cell phones to welfare recipients...other than to buy votes with my money."

Obamafones may have been critical in the Regime's get out the vote machine in 2012.

[econjack]

Obamafones may have been critical in the Regime's get out the vote machine in 2012.

Yep, just like I said...to buy votes...

[ROCKLOBSTER]

Almost Half of America on Welfare

Funny, didn't that idiot Romney say that?

[Klaatu Barada Nikto]

Add in those on social security benefits, military and government pensions, government contractors, and government employees at all levels, and you have an overwhelming percentage of Americans dependent on government programs.

[Huskrrrr]

[logic101.net]

It is called hope and change.

[bandleader]

Who says Obongo’s Not”Gettin’ It Done”????????????

[Kaslin]

He said no such thing. What he said was this: What America needs is jobs. Lots of jobs.
Mitt Romney

Source

---

He wasn't lying about it either

[Kaslin]

Are you taking offense on well earned military retirement pensions and social security for the elderly?

If so shame on you

[ROCKLOBSTER]

He said 45% were on the dole and wouldn’t vote for him.

[ROCKLOBSTER]

I was wrong:

Specifically, Mitt Romney said “47 percent” of Americans don’t pay income tax, and those “dependent on government” probably won’t vote for him.