BLUE VIEWPOINT
Welfare is not a right.
"The Food Stamp Program, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is proud to be distributing the greatest amount of free meals and food stamps ever, to 46 million people.
Meanwhile, the National Park Service, administered by the U.S. Department of the Interior, asks us "Please Do Not Feed the Animals." Their stated reason for the policy is because the animals will grow dependent on handouts and will not learn to take care of themselves." - Anonymous
With a population of about 350 million people, many do not think about the welfare state in a reasonable manner. With billions being paid in taxes to the federal and state governments each year, the pot seems unlimited and the Left seems to think that there is plenty to throw around for the poor to have the same benefits as those who earn theirs. Look at this another way and see how it calculates.
Bring it down to a manageable concept
Rather than the 300 million people, let's take a village of 50 families. Of those families, there are some carpenters, some electricians, some policemen, teachers, and some janitors. There are others, but you get the idea. Now let's say that the town needs to keep up the roads and provide schooling for the kids. This is a small town, so we will keep it simple. The townspeople decide that each family should pay 10% of their income to support the roads and schools. For the sake of argument, each family earns $50,000 per year, sending $5,000 to the local government each year. Everyone pulls their own weight and contributes a share of the load. The local government consists of volunteers who insure that the village rules are followed and the money goes to the right places. This gives the village a total of $250,000 for the roads and the schools.
Now, one of the carpenters dies and his family is left without an income. They have small children and the wife has no skills to replace the work done by the carpenter. The village gets together and decides that this family needs help. Each of the families gives $500 per year toward the maintenance of the family, leaving each contributing family $44,500 to live on for the year, and the needy family now has $25,000 income. So far, so good.
What does this do to the community?
Since some of the families are having a hard time keeping their support payments up, the government has the contributors send the money to the government, who then doles it out to the needy family. The government also goes to the local store owner and sets up a program by which the needy family can get groceries, since the $25,000 is not enough to feed and clothe them properly. This bill is also sent to the government and totals about $5000 per year (a little less than $100 per week for groceries and clothes).
The problem builds
The added responsibility to the government takes the volunteers more time and they start complaining. One of the volunteers decides to work full time as a government employee, but still requires the assistance of volunteers. Now the volunteer requires compensation, so is compensated at $50,000 per year to replace his regular job. This drops the income of the government for governing to $205,500 per year (after deductions for taxes, he receives only $44,500), of which $280,000 is now needed for the roads, the schools, and the needy family (they need $25,000 plus the $5000 for groceries). Guess what? We now have a deficit of $74,500 because the income of the government has dropped and the expenses have increased. So the government has three choices: reduce spending, raise taxes or borrow money. Can you see what is happening? Everyone is serious about wanting to help everyone, but a problem is developing.
Now, a stranger comes to town. He has a family of children and a wife who takes care of them. Of their three kids, two are school age. He has no trade, but does general yardwork and odd jobs to get by. Not only can he not afford the $5000 tax for the roads and the schools his children attend, he cannot afford to pay the $500 deduction for the other needy family. In fact, his income is only $20000 per year - less than that of the needy family in town.
Again, big brother steps in
The government decides this is not fair, so they determine that they must make up the difference between the stranger's income and that of the needy family - $5000 per year. The government notifies the citizens, "Your taxes must increase". Of the 48 families left with gainful employment that support themselves, this would require a tax increase of $104.17 per year per family to make up for the income for the stranger. However, since the government now has tax revenue of only $205,500, with a $280,000 budget for the roads and schools, they determine they need another $79,500 total, which amounts to $1,622.45 per productive family. The stranger is exempt from this burden, because he requires assistance to make ends meet. Adding the $1,622.45 to the $104.17, the additional tax burden over the original $5000 for the roads and schools is $1,726.62 per productive household, making their tax burden $6,726.62 annually.
Tax to make up for volunteer job, needy family, and deficit $1,622.45
Tax to make up for stranger income $104.17
Increase for 48 productive families $1,726.62
This community has become a burden to support. Through no action or fault of their own, the original residents have an increased tax burden, now support two families, and have no improvement of services from the government. In fact, the burden on the teachers of their children has increased, decreasing the service they are used to getting. When others get word that this community will support them, they will start coming in. The solution? Not so easy to support everyone, is it? And we didn't even get to health care. But think about even that in this light.
And, that's with only one new family (an increase of 2% population, plus the fatherless family makes 4%). How big is our welfare family? A site at Politifact says this:
"In 2013, according to the Census Bureau, there were 105,862,000 full-time year-round workers in the United States -- including 16,685,000 full-time government workers. These full-time workers were outnumbered by the 109,631,000 whom the Census Bureau says were getting benefits from means-tested federal programs -- e.g. welfare -- as of the fourth quarter of 2012.
"Every American family that pays its own way -- and takes care of its own children whether with one or two incomes -- must subsidize the 109,631,000 on welfare."
What do you think this means to those of us who earn our share and theirs?
Disagree? Find an error? Contact us at glenjjr@gmail.com and give us your view.
