Posted on 08/20/2014 7:09:30 AM PDT by xzins
109,631,000 Americans lived in households that received benefits from one or more federally funded "means-tested programs" — also known as welfare — as of the fourth quarter of 2012, according to data released Tuesday by the Census Bureau.
The Census Bureau has not yet reported how many were on welfare in 2013 or the first two quarters of 2014.
But the 109,631,000 living in households taking federal welfare benefits as of the end of 2012, according to the Census Bureau, equaled 35.4 percent of all 309,467,000 people living in the United States at that time.
When those receiving benefits from non-means-tested federal programs — such as Social Security, Medicare, unemployment and veterans benefits — were added to those taking welfare benefits, it turned out that 153,323,000 people were getting federal benefits of some type at the end of 2012.
Subtract the 3,297,000 who were receiving veterans' benefits from the total, and that leaves 150,026,000 people receiving non-veterans' benefits.
The 153,323,000 total benefit-takers at the end of 2012, said the Census Bureau, equaled 49.5 percent of the population. The 150,026,000 taking benefits other than veterans' benefits equaled about 48.5 percent of the population.
When America re-elected President Barack Obama in 2012, we had not quite reached the point where more than half the country was taking benefits from the federal government.
It is a reasonable bet, however, that with the implementation of Obamacare — with its provisions expanding Medicaid and providing health-insurance subsidies to people earning up to 400 percent of poverty — that if we have not already surpassed that point (not counting those getting veterans benefits) we soon will.
What did taxpayers give to the 109,631,000 — the 35.4 percent of the nation — getting welfare benefits at the end of 2012?
82,679,000 of the welfare-takers lived in households where people were on Medicaid, said the Census Bureau. 51,471,000 were in households on food stamps. 22,526,000 were in the Women, Infants and Children program. 20,355,000 were in household on Supplemental Security Income. 13,267,000 lived in public housing or got housing subsidies. 5,442,000 got Temporary Assistance to Needy Families. 4,517,000 received other forms of federal cash assistance.
How do you put in perspective the 109,631,000 people taking welfare, or the 150,026,000 getting some type of federal benefit other than veterans' benefits?
Well, the CIA World Factbook says there are 142,470,272 people in Russia. So, the 150,026,000 people getting non-veterans federal benefits in the United States at the end of 2012 outnumbered all the people in Russia.
63,742,977 people live in the United Kingdom and 44,291,413 live in the Ukraine, says the CIA. So, the combined 108,034,390 people in these two nations was about 1,596,610 less than 109,631,000 collecting welfare in the United States.
It may be more telling, however, to compare the 109,631,000 Americans taking federal welfare benefits at the end of 2012 to Americans categorized by other characteristics.
In 2012, according to the Census Bureau, there were 103,087,000 full-time year-round workers in the United States (including 16,606,000 full-time year-round government workers). Thus, the welfare-takers outnumbered full-time year-round workers by 6,544,000.
California, the nation's most-populated state, contained an estimated 38,332,521 people in 2013, says the Census Bureau. Texas had 26,448,193 people, New York had 19,651,127, and Florida had 19,552,860. But the combined 103,984,701 people in these four massive states still fell about 5,646,299 short of the 109,631,000 people on welfare.
In the fourth quarter of 2008, when President Obama was elected, there were 96,197,000 people living in households taking benefits from one or more federal welfare programs. After four years, by the fourth quarter of 2012, that had grown by 13,434,000.
Those 13,434,000 additional people on welfare outnumbered the 12,882,135 people the Census Bureau estimated lived in Obama's home state of Illinois in 2013.
If interest rates rise for any reason, then the nation's budget becomes mush as interest payments on the national debt soar.
Andy you thought the riots over the fully-justified shooting of Michael Brown were bad? Wait until all of those people get their bennies cut when the economy collapses. You ain’t seen nuthin’ yet.
It’s just a matter of time.We’re doomed to civil war,insurrection and the destruction of the Republic.
had a 200 pound small height woman in front of me the other day.
We pay nearly 300 a week for food etc, and yet she had twice as much as us.
3 parts she paid for.
One welfare food stamp card for food, next a flimsy paper card for toilet paper etc, and another card for utensils etc.
No wonder she was laughing a joking in front of us.
Saw her later getting in her nice new vehicle, but I can’t say anything as that would be racist.
Also ever noticed that those on welfare are not that thin, so they are hardly starving.
Conservatives keep talking about a “tipping point.” With one hundred million people getting some type of transfer payment, we already are passed the tipping point. We are in a Welfare State death spiral where people don’t have the maturity or emotional toughness to cut back on transfer payments. The answers keep coming back to “have someone else pay for it” by either borrowing or taxing the mythical “rich.”
Something has to give. If the trend is reversed, there will be a soft landing. The trend will not be reversed. There will be a very, very, hard landing, as in lots of deaths.
When interest rates begin to rise, then look out. Trouble’s coming.
Two of England’s major banks were calling for interest increases yesterday, I think. That will come here.
My bank is paying .1% for a savings account. I didn’t say 1%. I said .1%. That cannot sustain. I saw 2% on a FIVE YEAR CD being offered by some bank.
REDISTRIBUTION -— What Hussein promised to Joe-the-Plumber in 2008
well, we have fully 1/3 of people in this country on public assistance of some kind.
Can a nation survive long term with such a dependent class?
I agree.
Why does nonworking American make many times more than the unskilled worker of China?
I’m thinking it is because they are being held up by all the skilled capitalists in USA, but as that number drops, our unskilled or nonworking will head towards Chinese pay levels.
The only thing that lets this farce continue is the US dollar reserve currency status. The day that ends is the day the entire rotten structure comes crashing down.
Add in the State and local transfer payment recipients.
Gerald Celente, who has been right more often than not, predicted this would happen. Timing? Maybe not so much, end state? Celente nails it.
People will explode when they lose the freebies.
The question is when? This year? Next year? This decade? Manipulation of currencies and markets, the glut of 660 trillion in debt worldwide is already well beyond any fix imaginable.
People will die. It will not end well for any but the elite. They will have food, water, shelter and medical care while the world burns around them.
Well, I just depressed myself. However, I am open to anyone that has a brighter future scenario to share.
And this welfare can never be reduced without riots not unlike America has never seen before. Millions will tear America apart.
By the way once again, miss Romney yet. That was the biggest mistake millions of ignorant Americans will regret. You have taken the biggest part in America’s destruction.
And when the ChiCom types take over, then they will STOP handing out money and will make the peasants work for their gruel. Some ask why the Chamber of Commerce supports socialist policies and illegal immigration. Probably because money and power are interchangeable depending on the governmental system in which you live.
They consider themselves the elite now. They think they’ll also be the elite then. And power in a socialist system is as good as money in a social corporatist system.
Is that not insanity?!
Why would any sane nation add millions more to its already huge welfare rolls? The only answer: ulterior motive.
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