Welfare spending jumps 32% in four years

[MACH1]

Welfare spending has grown substantially over the past four years, reaching $746 billion in 2011 — or more than Social Security, basic defense spending or any other single chunk of the federal government

The steady rise in welfare spending, which covers more than 80 programs primarily designed to help low-income Americans, got a big boost from the 2009 stimulus and has grown, albeit somewhat more slowly, in 2010 and 2011. One reason is that more people are qualifying in the weak economy, but the federal government also has broadened eligibility so that more people qualify for programs.

Beyond that, the next big program is food stamps, at $75 billion in 2011, or 10 percent of welfare spending. It’s nearly twice the size it was in 2008 and accounts for a staggering 20 percent of the total welfare spending increase over those four years.

Read more: Welfare spending jumps 32% in four years - Washington Times http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/...#ixzz29f7wqows
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[Vincent]

Originally Posted by MACH1

Welfare spending has grown substantially over the past four years...

This post is dripping with racism.

[ricardisimo]

I don't know what sort of bizarre methodology they are using over at the Washington Times, but no one else on the planet is claiming any such thing. Not even staunch fiscal conservatives:



Anytime anyone tells you that any other part of the US budget is bigger than defense, they are lying. Maybe I misunderstood, and the issue is just the jump in spending rather than the total amount, but even that seems doubtful. Military spending only goes up, and always dramatically so.

More than likely, the Washington Times considers anything useful that the government does as "welfare". Curiously, I doubt they consider the bank bailouts as welfare.

Anyhow, the federal budget is an unmitigated mess, that much is certain.

[Vincent]

Originally Posted by ricardisimo

Anytime anyone tells you that any other part of the US budget is bigger than defense, they are lying.

Defense, among the few constitutionally legitimate federal expenditure, has run at about 20% of expenditures and at just shy of 5% of GDP for the last decade.

Get rid of the unconstitutional bull@#$% and the gubmint could run well within a $Trillion. The planet would be safe and our economy would be white hot, conditions that would infuriate leftists and their foreign masters.

[ricardisimo]

Originally Posted by Vincent

Defense, among the few constitutionally legitimate federal expenditure, has run at about 20% of expenditures and at just shy of 5% of GDP for the last decade.

Get rid of the unconstitutional bull@#$% and the gubmint could run well within a $Trillion. The planet would be safe and our economy would be white hot, conditions that would infuriate leftists and their foreign masters.

If you are in a permanent war state - as we have been for quite some time now - it is meaningless to distinguish between DoD budget and the emergency and supplemental expenditures. Once you do that it's clear that military spending is through the roof and nothing else comes close.

Art. I, Sect. 8, Cl. 1:

The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;

Seems sufficiently vague to me. Can you show me the part where it says "not to be spent on anything working people might find useful"?