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George Will: The harm incurred by a mushrooming welfare state
Washington Post ^ | January 21, 2015 | By George Will

Posted on 01/22/2015 1:22:47 PM PST by Brad from Tennessee

America’s national character will have to be changed if progressives are going to implement their agenda. So, changing social norms is the progressive agenda. To understand how far this has advanced, and how difficult it will be to reverse the inculcation of dependency, consider the data Nicholas Eberstadt deploys in National Affairs quarterly:

America’s welfare state transfers more than 14 percent of gross domestic product to recipients, with more than a third of Americans taking “need-based” payments. In our wealthy society, the government officially treats an unprecedented portion of the population as “needy.”

Transfers of benefits to individuals through social welfare programs have increased from less than 1 federal dollar in 4 (24 percent) in 1963 to almost 3 out of 5 (59 percent) in 2013. In that half-century, entitlement payments were, Eberstadt says, America’s “fastest growing source of personal income,” growing twice as fast as all other real per capita personal income. It is probable that this year a majority of Americans will seek and receive payments.

This is not primarily because of Social Security and Medicare transfers to an aging population. Rather, the growth is overwhelmingly in means-tested entitlements. . .

(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Editorial; Government
KEYWORDS: poverty; unemployment
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To: Steely Tom

It’s one of the reasons I haven’t moved south in retirement. When the SHTF and it becomes a lot of work to keep warm in the winter, the entitlement army will be heading south in large numbers.


21 posted on 01/22/2015 1:55:01 PM PST by nascarnation (Impeach, convict, deport)
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To: nascarnation

“”””That’s a terrifying possibility. Now they are largely stupid, lazy, and unhealthy which might mitigate their usefulness a bit. But still scary.””””

The term is cannon fodder.


22 posted on 01/22/2015 1:56:20 PM PST by raybbr (Obamacare needs a death panel.)
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To: Brad from Tennessee

The Free Traders off shored the low IQ jobs. Now it is “cheaper” to import slave manufactured junk and stipend the idle here. Hey, I am the tariff guy don’t look at me....


23 posted on 01/22/2015 1:56:54 PM PST by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn.)
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To: Brad from Tennessee

I worked the past week from 7am to 9pm. WTF am I doing? Some days I read the stories of welfare and taxes and as soon as I have the means to go Gault, sell my business, and liquidate my machinery guess what?


24 posted on 01/22/2015 1:57:09 PM PST by Organic Panic
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To: MrB

I suppose “national debt” never crossed her mind.


25 posted on 01/22/2015 2:01:39 PM PST by stephenjohnbanker (My Batting Average( 1,000) (GOPe is that easy to read))
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To: PGR88

They print it. Which means debasing the value of dollar denominated financial assets.


26 posted on 01/22/2015 2:03:14 PM PST by Uncle Miltie (Bush / Clinton 2016! Clinton / Bush 2020! Uniparty Rules!)
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To: 1rudeboy

Irrelevant.

The relevant stats are the percent of the workforce age people working and the percent on welfare.


27 posted on 01/22/2015 2:05:38 PM PST by DannyTN
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To: Uncle Miltie

The crash is going to be epic. I actually hope to be around to see it, God help me.


28 posted on 01/22/2015 2:05:43 PM PST by Lurker (Violence is rarely the answer. But when it is it is the only answer.)
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To: Lurker

“I actually hope to be around to see it, God help me.”

I won’t be here but God help my grandchildren.

.


29 posted on 01/22/2015 2:08:38 PM PST by Mears
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To: Mears

I’m in my early 50s and our son is 20. One of us will see it for sure.

L


30 posted on 01/22/2015 2:09:47 PM PST by Lurker (Violence is rarely the answer. But when it is it is the only answer.)
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To: stephenjohnbanker

I was way too... darkened... to even talk to her that night.

Anyway, when prompted with the question of paying for some pet program in the past, her answer was “well, the money’s out there!”

As another FReeper spoke for Obama’s real self -
“we could do all this nice stuff if the greedy rich people would only let us use their money”


31 posted on 01/22/2015 2:11:53 PM PST by MrB (The difference between a Humanist and a Satanist - the latter admits whom he's working for)
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To: MrB

” As another FReeper spoke for Obama’s real self -
“we could do all this nice stuff if the greedy rich people would only let us use their money””

Yeah, baby!

Lets see....the top 1% pay almost 40% of income taxes. Let’s take 90%. I mean, who can’t live on 1-5 million a year?

The freakin pigs!!


32 posted on 01/22/2015 2:14:51 PM PST by stephenjohnbanker (My Batting Average( 1,000) (GOPe is that easy to read))
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To: DannyTN
Well said.

When a country sees a benefit with its employment source being exported it should re-examine it's real effect on GNP. Its corporate sector is gaining but the government sector is eating the cost of unemployment. If the gains made by the corporation are offset by the costs to government, this would be a national loser. What the consumer saves in product cost, is made up by increased taxes. A bummer.

Trade deal should have a JOB IMPACT STUDY to see if it is a winner or a loser.

33 posted on 01/22/2015 2:16:33 PM PST by ex-snook (God forgives because God is Love)
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To: ex-snook

All of these laid of tin workers are going to retrain as brain surgeons and rocket scientists.


34 posted on 01/22/2015 2:19:06 PM PST by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn.)
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To: Lurker

The crash is going to be so murderous, I hope we all go quickly.

I have no interest in living in the post-crash world.

And it’s coming.

The moment lenders say, “We shouldn’t loan the U.S. Government any more money”.

That moment. Not a second longer. Snap! One minute everything’s great, the next minute, there’s shooting in the streets.


35 posted on 01/22/2015 2:25:59 PM PST by Uncle Miltie (Bush / Clinton 2016! Clinton / Bush 2020! Uniparty Rules!)
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To: ex-snook

Exactly, and in our case, government loses two ways.

It loses the employment taxes on the labor that was off shored. Those taxes are huge compared to the paltry import tariffs we charge. And then it loses again when it has to support the unemployed.

State and local governments lose out on the sales taxes that would have been spent by the formerly employed. And businesses lose them as customers.


36 posted on 01/22/2015 2:26:32 PM PST by DannyTN
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To: ex-snook

Exactly, and in our case, government loses two ways.

It loses the employment taxes on the labor that was off shored. Those taxes are huge compared to the paltry import tariffs we charge. And then it loses again when it has to support the unemployed.

State and local governments lose out on the sales taxes that would have been spent by the formerly employed. And businesses lose them as customers.


37 posted on 01/22/2015 2:26:32 PM PST by DannyTN
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To: Brad from Tennessee
The harm incurred by a mushrooming welfare state

In very simple terms..., if you are employed to hand out benefits..., how do you excel?? It is very simple, you merely hand out as much as you can, "bending" or totally ignoring the rules for entitlement! I observed this almost 50 years ago, even in Florida, where social workers spoke proudly about the people they "helped" by ignoring the "rules"... (after a few drinks to lubricate their tongues!) It is FAR MORE prevalent today!!!

38 posted on 01/22/2015 2:35:10 PM PST by ExSES (the "bottom-line")
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To: Uncle Miltie

I don’t know if choice is going to hold much sway after it happens.

I give it 48 hours after the music stops. Then the cities go up in flames and no one will be able to stop it. No one.

We will stand our ground mostly because we have no place “better” to go.

Best of luck to you, sir.

L


39 posted on 01/22/2015 2:47:49 PM PST by Lurker (Violence is rarely the answer. But when it is it is the only answer.)
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To: Brad from Tennessee

ALL this money goes to business and the media they advertise on.
ALL of it.

Profit is the reason the Chamber of Commerce and the media fight so hard against conservatives.


40 posted on 01/22/2015 2:53:49 PM PST by mrsmith (Dumb sluts: Lifeblood of the Media, Backbone of the Democrat Party!)
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