KathyP:

One can also claim government disability by deeming themselves mentally incompetent to hold a job if they can convince a doctor to corroborate that. That’s VERY easy to do, I have my own family telling me I must be losing my mind. But seriously, it is just One allowable item for claiming.

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Husband’s ex’s sister has been collecting government disability for years because she’s AN ALCOHOLIC!!! How’s that boil you blood, I know it does mine.

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Athos:

Good questions all. But it is looking increasingly like we are running up a greater and greater debt to put off to tomorrow what would have happened today, while continuing to add idiotically to what is already principally allotted. Insanity.

LOUD ticking.

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According to my records, Health and Human Services spends $800 billion per year. Social Security spending is over $700 billion. That will be $1.5 Billion/yr on welfare. Add the $100 billion spent on agriculture (anyone for a delicious glass of ethanol?) and Labor waste, fraud and abuse; and it’s not too hard to get to $2trillion worth of government handouts.

The question posed to me (by my democrat brother in law) is “what do you think would happen if you stopped all welfare payments?” Would there be rioting in the streets? Would we all need to arm ourselves from the Katrina style looting?

What would be the reaction from 73 million baby boomers being told that Social Security was a ponzi scheme that could no longer be supported? Bernie Madoff got caught, and your money is GONE!

What would Archer Midland Daniels do if we stopped paying them to not grow wheat? Or stopped paying them to not turn corn into crappy fuel for our cars?

What would BofA and Citi Bank do if we told them to eat their OWN mortgage and derivative losses?

There is no easy answer to this. There is no way the victims of Bernie Madoff can escape pain and loss (anymore than the Enron employees and stock holders could escape their loss and pain).

But we need someone with courage to begin exploring how we get out of this mess. Because we are all sitting on a time bomb, and more and more of us are beginning to hear the ticking.

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james:

Thank you for your response.

I don’t have a clue as to what happened to my response to you a short time ago. It never came up, so I will write again as clearly as I can remember what I responded.

My understanding is that the information I posted was given by the tenant coming in. It is not all Section 8, and I do not know what makes up the balance, but the total figure I gave is clarified. I will try to get a full list of what makes up the total.

You are correct, the tenant does not normally get the check, but in this case I was led to understand that this was ‘disposable’ entitlement, so I will see if I am in error.

The premise of the article was not upon ‘poor black people’. It is upon the soaring national debt, the interest on that debt, and the basic nonchalance of the politicians to treat it as a crisis. The example I gave is one I am constantly in contact with as I have to send people to do repairs on those houses and then have to check them, so fact is, these people, at least a goodly number appear to be doing very well, indeed. I don’t think anyone begrudges help to those who truly need it, but I don’t have any compassion for your ‘welfare queen’ who has four children by four different fathers and is not married to any of them. The example is, of course, just the tip of the iceberg.

If you notice, there are no comments on the debt itself. It seems that whenever it is mentioned we put our heads in the sand as we don’t have a clue what to do.

I don’t like quoting statistics as they can be extremely misleading in any direction. I understand it that whites comprise approximately 38.7% of the rolls, and blacks 37.2%, with Hispanics and others bringing up the balance. Now this can be looked at in different ways, but I basically ask the question: If blacks comprise only 14% of the population but 37.2% of the rolls, just how does saying whites comprise the ‘majority’ of the rolls with their far, far greater numbers signify anything of substance?

Down here in the south, Atlanta in particular, blacks are in the distinct majority and I would wager that come the next census, it will not be surprising when African-Americans and Hispanics are show to have a far higher percentage of the population than is now recognized.

To put things in a nutshell, however, your last paragraph summarizes what the article signifies, and I agree with you totally as to that.

Tkx

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I think my response to james is caught in spam?

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james:

Thanks for your response.

The information I have on the Section 8 is that it is what the tenant declared coming in. My friend did mention that in other instances, especially where a single person, or two, without any children are involved, the check comes to him directly from the government, so I will clarify with him. I could ask him to show me the paperwork, but obviously that is confidential. There is more than just Section 8 involved in this particular instance, as I understand, and it was not my intention to suggest that it was all Section 8. The total figure Was clarified, though. It doesn’t make any sense to me either, nor does it sit well with me.

But lets not suggest that the focus here is on ‘poor black people’, or that they are being blamed. Yes, of course, Section 8 benefits those truly needy people with good reason. I doubt if anyone objects to those who really need it receiving it, and likely it could be that this instance noted is in the minority. It is an example, certainly not necessarily the norm. I have seen the same instances as noted by retire05 since I have to get people out to do repairs and check when finished, so some of these people appear to be doing pretty good.

While stereotypes are never good, many use statistics mislead and that is not good either. (I am not suggesting this in your case). I believe if you check Social Services, say, in Atlanta, as well as the nationwide numbers, Blacks lead in benefit consumption, depending on the study, of course, statistics can be twisted to say whatever one wants.

If you go by area, yes, whites lead in some because generally the area is mostly white. and if blacks are only 14% of the population, what does this say? However, I don’t think race is the reason behind the numbers, Blacks tend to gravitate more toward Urban areas and urban areas are more prone to economic downturn. Also education is a factor whites are more likely to go to college and in most cases a college education will provide you a career that can provide sufficient support for a family.The problem is cultural and many good black leaders Are fighting hard to correct the problem. I have it that whites are 38.7% and blacks 37.2%, with Hispanics and others making up the balance. Related article: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1077/is_n2_v48/ai_12970819/

The point of the article is the gross interest on the national debt and the certainty that we are spending ourselves into oblivion. No one really seems to have a good response to that. It is almost as we all put out head in the sand when it is mentioned as we don’t have clue what to do about it.

(An aside: As to the 14% of blacks in the population, I would wager that when the next census is taken some shock be in store as to the actual numbers of African-Americans and to the number of Hispanics in this country will be shown to be far, far higher than presently stated.)

As far as your last comment, I agree completely, and in a nutshell, this was the point of the article.

Tkx,

srr

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I get the point of the article but the numbers don’t add up. My uncle own 16 properties here in Chicago and he accepts Section 8 in half of his buildings (two buildings are located in very nice neighborhoods). I’m sure the cost of living is much higher here in Chicago than it is in Texas and I have never seen anyone receive a Section 8 check for $1600. Section 8 generally only covers 70% of the rent except for extreme circumstances. Now if someone is living in a place that charges $1600 a month for rent in Texas, then I think that person might be doing very well.

You also have to remember that the resident doesn’t receive the check. Section 8 sends the check directly to the landlord with the tenant being responsible for the remaining balance. So, it would be your friend that is getting $1600. And that doesn’t make sense.

If you take into account that the median rent in Dallas is $650 and a 3 bedroom in a very nice neighborhood is $1200, it seems doubtful that your friend is getting that type of rent for a section 8 apartment. And usually the utility allowance is connected with the amount of the subsidy and that is something the landlord gives to the state. I highly doubt it would come to $600 a month would be something anyone on Section 8 would receive. I can’t speak to food stamps because I don’t know about that but my guess is that 5 people would get around $350 per month.

I understand the premise of your article, but as always, the focus is being place on poor black people – welfare queens if you lived through the 80′s – when in fact the 61% of welfare recipients are white. In 2008, only 1.8% of our budget went to Welfare and Unemployment. Black people make up only 14% of the population yet Conservatives have it in their head that we are to blame for the deficit and the current fiscal crisis… but the numbers never add up to the emotions.

If you want to place blame, you can blame every President and Congressman we’ve had for the past 30 years. They’ve been playing monkey business with our money for decades and have gotten away with it because they keep the American people fighting about the margins – welfare, minimum wage, free trade, ect. No body pays for anything: wars, tax cuts, spending programs, military spending, and on and on.

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AyeChihuahua:

Thanks mate!

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retire05:

My friend, I feel your pain. Literally. Last year was a BAD year for me. I am self-employed and although a architect and contractor, this particular sector of the economy got hit hard. I made less than $34,000 last year (Praise the Lord!). I have a condition called polycythemia vera, thus my wife’s and my health insurance plus the natural remedies I take (of course insurance does not cover ‘natural’) comes to right at $1500 per month. Do the calculations…..Still I worked a minimum 8 hour day for the year, so trust me, I have exactly the same feeling in the pit of my stomach as you do.

Now, on your question above. The person is paid directly that amount, so she has tangible cash money of $2800 a month. One would think that she could find $3-400 for a spiffy SUV payment along with insurance given that these Section 8 houses are held to around $7-800 per month.

Oh, I almost forgot, they also have a card that provides free health insurance for the entire family. This is paid directly by the government thus is not part of her tangible ‘cash’.

My friend said that one of the most frustrating things with his management is that if he gets a call for a repair they expect someone there within the hour and they call him 24/7. The attitude is “We are entitled to this. Why should we work?” Besides if they work, the amount comes down corresponding to what they are paid, so what can one expect? The SYSTEM is set up this way and it is the ONLY THING EVER SET UP BY GOVERNMENT THAT WORKS! And you know why? Because it’s there to buy votes! When these cretins WE keep sending back to Washington have a SELF-INTEREST involved, what every they set up is going to work…for them.

It is quite obvious that politicians have little self interest as long as the money keeps coming from someone else. They get free health insurance, a remarkably generous retirement account depending upon how many years of ‘service’ to the taxpayer they have so strenuously labored in their free offices, free franking, free everything up inside the Beltway.

BUT, my friend, we get the government we deserve. (Even if WE ain’t the majority and those bleeding hearts think the Democrats and Obama are doing great, we get what we deserve because we don’t get up off our tails and vote the bloodsuckers out!)

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