Free Republic

If you read the latest Social Security Trustees Report, you're aware that the program's combined trust funds are expected to run dry in 2034. And clearly, that's not great news. But before you start panicking about your benefits, it's important that you understand the implications of those trust funds running out.Social Security won't go broke The most important thing you should know about Social Security's trust funds is that they're not the program's primary source of funding. Rather, the bulk of the revenue that Social Security takes in comes from payroll taxes. Now for the first time in multiple decades,...

Overall enrollment in the nation’s food stamp program has dipped to its lowest level in eight years, according to the latest statistics released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The latest USDA data reveals that enrollment in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)—the federal government program that administers food stamps—dropped to 40,083,954 in March 2018. The last time enrollment in the food stamp program reached that level was February 2010, when 39,588,993 people participated in the nation’s food stamp program. Although overall enrollment has reached its lowest point in eight years, food stamp enrollment has been declining steadily since...

Food companies have embraced a controversial tactic in their quest to sell more soda, a new study says: timing advertisements for sugary drinks to the days states distribute food stamp benefits. On any given day, grocery shoppers are likely to see soda displays in stores, researchers found. But they are two to four times as likely to come across them when food stamps go out. The study, which relied on 2011 data from the New York State Department of Health and which will appear later this year in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, is the latest to suggest there's...

America has a major dependency problem. In recent decades, there’s been a significant increase in the number of working-age adults relying on handouts.This is bad news for poor people and bad news for taxpayers. But it’s also bad news for the nation since it reflects an erosion of societal capital.For all intents and purposes, people are being paid not to be productive.Guided by the spirit of Calvin Coolidge, we need to reform the welfare state.Professor Dorfman of the University of Georgia, in a column for Forbes, pinpoints the core problem. The first failure of government welfare programs is to favor help with current consumption while placing almost...

SCHUMER WARNS: FUNDING AT RISK FOR CRITICAL AND COST-EFFECTIVE FARM-SAFETY PROGRAM TO HELP PREVENT DEADLY TRACTOR ROLLOVERS; SENATOR LAUNCHES NEW PUSH ON CDC TO FUND TRACTOR ROLLOVER PROTECTION PROGRAM AND KEEP IT RUNNING AT FULL SPEED The Federally-Funded Northeast Center For Occupational Safety And Health For Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing (NEC) Provides Farmers With Important Resources, Like Special 1-800 Safety Number, Access To Farm-Safety Experts And Information On Next-Gen Farm Safety Equipment Like Tractor Rollover Bars NEC’s Research Led To National ROPS – Rollover Bar – Rebate Program, But Senator Says Lack Of Available Grants Puts ROPS Program At Risk Schumer: Any...

After eight years of budget cutting, Britain is looking less like the rest of Europe and more like the United States, with a shrinking welfare state and spreading poverty. PRESCOT, England — A walk through this modest town in the northwest of England amounts to a tour of the casualties of Britain’s age of austerity. The old library building has been sold and refashioned into a glass-fronted luxury home. The leisure center has been razed, eliminating the public swimming pool. The local museum has receded into town history. The police station has been shuttered. Now, as the local government desperately...

MINNEAPOLIS (KMSP) - For five months, Fox 9 has been investigating what appears to be rampant fraud in a massive state program. This fraud is suspected of costing Minnesota taxpayers as much as $100 million a year. - some of that public money is ending up in the hands of terrorists. SUITCASES FILLED WITH MONEY This story begins at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, where mysterious suitcases filled with cash have become a common carry-on. On the morning of March 15, Fox 9 chased a tip about a man who was leaving the country. Sources said he took a carry-on bag...

Hat Tip: Kevin Collins I have never heard this said as simply or as well. Class war at its best. The folks who are getting the free stuff don't like The folks who are paying for the free stuff , because The folks who are paying for the free stuff can no longer Afford to pay for both the free stuff and their own stuff. And the folks who are paying for the free stuff Want the free stuff to stop. And the folks who are getting the free stuff want even more Free stuff on top of the free...

We are living in the age of the victim. We live in a culture that worships at the altar of the victim. Americans everywhere are looking for others to blame. If I trip in my neighbor’s yard—it’s his fault. If I hang out at Burger King until I look like a Whooper—somehow Burger King is to blame. On the surface this may be a comforting approach to life—always having someone else to blame for our own faults, failures, and flaws. But the truth is, it is one of the most destructive and cynical lies out there! Here’s what it costs...

ohn Hinderaker calls it “the worst scandal in Minnesota history,” and one can only hope he’s right. The local Fox affiliate spent five months tracking the flow of cash going out in carry-on baggage through Minneapolis-St. Paul airport, and more importantly, where it originates. That turns out to be in large part from government day-care payments that end up being for non-existent enrollees (via Instapundit):

It is certainly a contender. Fox 9 television uncovers a far-reaching scandal: last year, more than $100 million in cash left the Twin Cities airport in carry-on luggage, bound for the Middle East and Africa: This story begins at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, where mysterious suitcases filled with cash have become a common carry-on. On the morning of March 15, Fox 9 chased a tip about a man who was leaving the country. Sources said he took a carry-on bag through security that was packed with $1 million in cash. Travelers can do that, as long as they fill out...

More than 2.2 million people have discontinued their participation in food stamps during President Trump’s first full year in office, according to the latest U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) data on food stamp enrollment. The latest USDA data shows that since Trump’s first full month in office in February 2017—when food stamp enrollment was at 42,289,366— participation in the program decreased by 2,257,235 to 40,032,131. The continued decline in enrollment during Trump’s first full year is on pace with the steady decline in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participation since 2013. Before then, participation in the federal welfare program swelled...

The Trump administration is considering a policy change that might discourage immigrants who are seeking permanent residency from using government-supported health care, a scenario that is alarming some doctors, hospitals and patient advocates. Under the proposed plan, a lawful immigrant holding a visa could be passed over for getting permanent residency — a green card — if they use Medicaid, a subsidized Obamacare plan, food stamps, tax credits or a list of other non-cash government benefits, according to a draft of the plan published by The Washington Post. Even the use of such benefits by a child who is a...

Almost always, when I point out the difficulties of enacting some social program much desired by the left, I am met with some version of the following rejoinder: “Other countries have managed to do this. We passed Medicare and Medicaid and Social Security and most recently, Obamacare. It is obviously possible to do these sorts of things, even in America. The obstructionism of people like you is the only reason we can’t have nice things.” The obstruction of people like me is, obviously, one of the reasons that we can’t have “nice things.” (Though, just as obviously, we obstruct because...

You are driving through downtown, and you see a homeless woman standing on the corner. You think, "I hope she is getting some help." You drive on. There are two sources for help for that homeless woman: charity and welfare. Let's examine them, how they work, and their effects on her and the rest of us. First, charity. There are many charitable organizations in every locality, taking voluntary donations from private citizens, churches, and businesses and aiding people in need. But let's look at charity on a more personal level. Let's say you, sitting in your car observing the homeless...

For three years, Tovia O'Neal simultaneously received food stamps, cash welfare, and Medicaid benefits in both Texas and New Mexico. Using a relative’s address, she raked in nearly $50,000 in benefits from New Mexico alone, on top of the welfare benefits she received in Texas. An investigation prompted by the Office of Inspector General led to a 2012 indictment and eventual plea agreement. Sadly, stories like O’Neal’s are far too common. Thousands of individuals across the country receive welfare benefits in states they no longer live in, in states they’ve never lived in, or even in multiple states at once....

(CNN) — Sean Hannity is a welfare queen. The controversial performance artist, host of the eponymous unreality TV show, has been revealed by The Guardian as a beneficiary of a federal mortgage guarantee program. The Guardian found that Hannity owns millions of dollars of real estate through more than 20 shell corporations, which shield his identity. The federal Department of Housing and Urban Development, The Guardian notes, insured the mortgage loans with which Hannity purchased the properties. Let's be clear: This is a subsidy. This is a benefit. This is big government aiding a very wealthy man. This is welfare.

inland has decided to end its experiment with a universal basic income, in which people are paid an unconditional salary by the state instead of benefits. The idea of a universal basic income has high-profile champions such as Richard Branson, Facebook boss Mark Zuckerberg and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. But the Finnish government's enthusiasm for a pilot scheme, a European first which garnered worldwide attention, is petering out. Calls for extra funding for it were rejected and the two year trial will not be extended after next year.

It takes a lot of courage for a president to target almost a quarter of the federal budget for reform in an election year. But this is exactly what President Trump is doing with his executive order, "Reducing Poverty in America by Promoting Opportunity and Economic Mobility." We're now spending more than $700 billion per year on low-income assistance, which is more than we are spending on our national defense. And there are plenty of reasons to believe this spending is inefficient, wasteful and counterproductive. Over the last half-century, some $22 trillion has been spent on anti-poverty programs and yet...

Yesterday, as most Americans are painfully aware, was “Tax Day,” the last day for filing individual income taxes this year. When the smoke clears, Americans will have paid $1.6 trillion in individual income taxes. And contrary to the populist rhetoric of both the Left and the Right, the vast majority of those taxes will have been paid by the rich. The wealthiest 1 percent of Americans, who earn 16 percent of U.S. income, will pay roughly 43 percent of federal income taxes this year. Of course, income taxes are only one component of federal taxes, and for most Americans, it’s...