Author Unknown to me, But

[Rucker61]

Wow, Rucker - for someone questioning the source of another's data, your own data has no sourcing either. Are you referring to welfare or unemployment?

Good call.

Welfare, as a result of job creation not catching up with the losses due to the financial crisis, with the result that more people are entering the welfare roles.

http://www.statisticbrain.com/welfare-statistics/

http://www.census.gov/compendia/stat..._families.html

As for the job creators not doing their job - why don't you ask them? Most of the business owners I've heard from say they can't/won't hire because they don't know what the regulatory environment is going to be like next year. In fact, one business owner I know is going to have to let two people go next year because of Obamacare taxes. Completely anecdotal, but it's a story you'll see repeated in the news if you look.

I'm as unhappy with the impact of the new taxes as anyone, and I'm not a small business owner or employee, so I'm not as close to the issue as the person here. I am curious as to the numbers of the tax impact on a business/reduce headcount to avoid/loss of revenue from losing two employees.

[DD977GM2]

I'd love to see where you got your data. While not excusing the long term welfare recipients that could work but don't, historical data have shown that the majority of welfare recipients only receive benefits for less than two years. Given that it's not likely that the recipients save any of the bounty that they get, or stick it into off-shore bank accounts, all of the money spent on welfare recipients immediately re-enters the economy, multiple times, as the places that money gets spent aren't long term depositories, either.

I think the point here is that most of the increase in payouts has gone to new recipients, meaning that jobs aren't available. The job creators haven't been doing their jobs.

My Aunt has been getting welfare for over 30 years, my Uncle who is the youngest has been getting welfare for something like 15 years now.

[spqrzilla]

I'd love to see where you got your data. While not excusing the long term welfare recipients that could work but don't, historical data have shown that the majority of welfare recipients only receive benefits for less than two years. Given that it's not likely that the recipients save any of the bounty that they get, or stick it into off-shore bank accounts, all of the money spent on welfare recipients immediately re-enters the economy, multiple times, as the places that money gets spent aren't long term depositories, either.

The idea that welfare spending has some sort of positive multiplier is really nonsense, even Obama's own economist (who has since left the admin) who specialized in studying govt spending as GDP multiplier put welfare spending as having a multiplier less than 1.00 which means that it cost the economy net.

I think the point here is that most of the increase in payouts has gone to new recipients, meaning that jobs aren't available. The job creators haven't been doing their jobs.

"Job creators" ? That term really annoys me. There are no such thing as "job creators". No one waves a f'ing magic wand and leaves behind jobs like little rabbit turds.

Jobs are "created" when there is economic activity. Jobs show up when people want goods and services, work to achieve a surplus to pay for them and then pay for them. Those jobs arise when others invest their wealth to create and expand businesses to service that demand for goods and services.

There are no "job creators". Least of all anywhere in government where you hear the silly term.

[Rucker61]

My Aunt has been getting welfare for over 30 years, my Uncle who is the youngest has been getting welfare for something like 15 years now.

Nice anedote.

[Jer]

I have never heard this said as simply or as well.
...
Class warfare at its best.

The folks who are getting the free stuff don't like the folks who are paying for the free stuff, because the folks who are paying for the free stuff can no longer afford to pay for both the free stuff and their own stuff.

And, the folks who are paying for the free stuff want the free stuff to stop.

And the folks who are getting the free stuff want even more free stuff on top of the free stuff they are already getting!

Now... the people who are forcing the people who pay for the free stuff have told the people who are RECEIVING the free stuff that the people who are PAYING for the free stuff are being mean, prejudiced, and racist.

So... the people who are GETTING the free stuff have been convinced they need to hate the people who are paying for the free stuff by the people who are forcing some people to pay for their free stuff and giving them the free stuff in the first place.

We have let the free stuff giving go on for so long that there are now more people getting free stuff than paying for the free stuff.

Now understand this. All great democracies have committed financial suicide somewhere between 200 and 250 years after being founded. The reason?

The voters figured out they could vote themselves money from the treasury by electing people who promised to give them money from the treasury in exchange for electing them.

The United States officially became a Republic in 1776, 236 years ago. The number of people now getting free stuff outnumbers the people paying for the free stuff. We have one chance to change that in 2012. Failure to change that spells the end of the US as we know it.

Sounds about right... save for that last part. Nothing any of us do in this election coming up will do a damn thing to slow this regardless of how much people wish it would one way or the other. This machine in place is MUCH bigger than Obama or Romney.

[cstone]

Federal, state, and local governments are so efficient that they should be the managers of welfare?

Families and local communities of like minded people are much better at providing help for those who need help.

When recipients of anything are so far removed from the source of those things, the things lose their value.

There are purposes that governments serve which I support. Governments caring for citizens from cradle to grave, is not a purpose that I support.

Be safe.