“”direct payments to individuals” accounted for more than two-thirds of federal spending in 2010”
“only 38% goes to the poor”
Let’s see — 38% of 66% is 25% of the TOTAL Federal spending — in other words ONE QUARTER of the budget goes “to the poor”.
Just how many “poor” do we have?!
This is what needs to be examined carefully. This is close to $1 TRILLION dollars PER YEAR.
The Federal government’s job is NOT “to support the poor”.
Its worse than that. Only about 60% of the people currently on Social Security are retired workers meaning 40% never put a dime into the system.
I agree the Poor are local and State problems. And in my State it is my hope that the policy to deal with the poor be like that of Benjamin Franklin’s:
“I am for doing good to the poor, but...I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it. I observed...that the more public provisions were made for the poor, the less they provided for themselves, and of course became poorer. And, on the contrary, the less was done for them, the more they did for themselves, and became richer.” — Benjamin Franklin
The Federal Government needs to focus on its foreign responsibility. Immigration, fair trade, and defense.