The average taxpayer has absolutely no comprehension of the national debt at any amount. It was previously around 11 trillion, give or take a few billion, and now its projected at 13 trillion if National Health Care is rammed through.
The politicians have put it out out of sight out of mind for the average gent because there is no feeling personal obligation in the comprehension of the debt.
Nevertheless, those taxpayers who struggle to send in their taxes quarterly, etc, say $2000 per quarter, certainly have a personal stake when they write the check but certainly it becomes non-personal and simply an accounting figure for the government. Nevertheless, it may make it a little harder for a family of four to get by.
On the other hand, let me give another example: Clinton did away with welfare, didn’t he? Saved us a TON, didn’t it? Yeah! Well, I got news for you. My friend manages Section 8 homes. He has one with a ‘single African American mom,’ poor thing, who has FOUR children all by different fathers. For this, she gets MONTHLY from the government, $1600 in housing allowance, $600 food stipulation, and $600 utility allowance. $2800 a month free. She drives a late model black Chevy Suburban. Does not work. Aren’t we Americans generous?
The interest on the debt at 11 trillion is 26 billion million. Per Month. That’s over 300 billion a year that goes to our creditors, even though the debt is created by the Federal Government. It goes to places, like China , and other creditors instead of the common good of this country. The governments attitude is that, so what, it’s just money. Is this sustainable? Honestly now…
Unfortunately, what they fail to tell those who don’t know is that by 2019, the yearly interest will be a projected $806 billion! Why? You should know… the miracle of compound interest….This would pay the annual budgets of the Department of Defense, Veterans Affairs, Dept. of Transportation, and the State Department combined.
So where is all this money going to come from? Well, the party in power at the moment tell us not to worry, that it will come from “the rich”, and “the greedy corporations”. Really, is that the plan? In 2008, Exxon Mobile made $45.2 billion, General Electric: $17.41 billion, Wal-Mart: $12.7 billion, and IBM, $12.3 billion….if the government confiscated 100% of this, would that work? Ha! Not even a third!
Common sense should tell you that if this was happening in your home, your would immediately rein in spending. Does the government do this? HAHAHA, it does the exact opposite! We cannot AFFORD National Health Care, pure and simple! Not because of itself, but because we are already in over our heads! Obama is, with the rest of the Democrats, spending us into oblivion. And don’t think the Republicans are any better, they just did it slower….
We are being told that Obama is deliberately pushing this country to bankruptcy. Wonder who is going to be the trustee?
This is not sustainable folks! There is No Way on Gods Earth! Eventually the piper is going to come calling! Look at that little angel sitting in the high chair at your dinner table. That’s where a pittance of the money is going to come from when they are old enough to get out there and pursue their ‘American Dream’. Nevertheless, that child will have to send in enough of their hard earned wages to keep their standard of living so far below the politicians that they are by any definition, ‘sold’ into slavery.
And we certainly ain’t doing nothin’ about it……yeah, look at that little angel….who sold ’em?
That is, if there is any remaining America to sell them into.
related article:
http://www.news-record.com/content/2009/12/11/article/are_we_spending_ourselves_into_oblivion
[Corrected typo for Steve] – Aye
Could someone please explain something to me? Steve, maybe you can address this: if this woman, with four kids by four different daddies, lives in housing paid for by the taxpayer, gets food stamps (or in Texas a Lone Star card that is used like a credit card) for food, has her utilities covered, again by the taxpayer, where the HELL does she get the money to even buy a car, much less drive a late model SUV?
I drive through the two housing projects in my small town (4,000) that are Sect. 8. What do I see? Not one vehicle parked there is as old as the pickup I drive. There are many shiny, new cars, SUVs and pickups, many with custom wheels. My friend, who does maintainence on those units, say that almost everyone in them has a large screen TV (I have a 19 year old 32″ Panasonic), microwaves, washers, dryers, none of which is furnished by the housing project. They ALL have cell phones and cable. So where does the CASH money come from to purchase all those luxuries?
In September/October of 2008, my IRA was almost wiped out (I lost over 50%) and consequently, it required a tightening of the belt. (I retired early due to a “buy out” of senior personell at the telecommunications company I worked for. It sounded like a good idea at the time in 2006). That meant changing my entire life style. Changing how we ate, buying cheaper groceries, trying to lower out utilitiy bills by turning up/down the thermostate as the weather dictated, using less gasoline by doing all the errands, shopping, etc. in one day, new clothes are a couple of pairs of Wrangler MWZ13s a year at $15/pair, waiting for sales to buy shoes, shirts, etc. that will be needed for the next season (off season sales are the best). Planning ahead.
So how the hell do the people living off my taxes managed to live better than I do? How do they manage to have luxury items that I could not evey begin to afford? Everytime I take a couple of thousand out of my IRA, I am punished with a 10% early withdrawal tax that is not applied to my federal income tax burden. It is just an extra perk for the government.
Now, I am being told how wonderful Obamacare is going to be, except there is one major problem; my health insurance, given to me by the telecommunications company I retired from, is going to be taxed under the “Cadillac” plan at 40%. Add to that the fact that I live in a home I worked years for, have to pay taxes on it that have increased because of increasing value (which also drove up my insurance costs), have to pay a 10% penalty just to use my own money to survive on, and have had to totally change my life style to pay my tax requirements, and someone lives better than I do off the taxpayers?
These questions I ask have come up for me before, as time after time, I see people who live in government housing standing in line at the 7-11 to buy lottery tickets. Where the hell does that money come from?
to Retire05…I understand what you said completely. The same thing here. And it disgusts me. Those that contribute to this nation are penalized while those that live off the government thrive. Disgusting. Time to go Galt.
Retire05 – They get the money from us, the taxpayer. Their kids also have pierced ears with diamond studs, they all have tattoos which are not cheap, and they wear designer clothes. Isn’t it great that the Democrats touted how wonderful welfare is, and now we have 3 and 4 generations of these brain dead a**holes living the high life on our dime because our liberal government has basically instilled in them they don’t need to work or be responsible for themselves or the brood they spawn. What a disgrace and an insult to all of us working our butts off just to survive, and as we look around we are supporting these lazy dope-smoking parasites. I’ve had enough, and it’s time we take our country back from these blood-sucking morons in power.
Madalyn
Lorraine, what no liberal will ever answer for me is; if I have a responsibility to help those who are “less fortunate” (a term the left loves) then what it their responsibility to me who pays the taxes that support them?
You see, we can’t even force people who live in government (read; taxpayer) housing to keep the damn places clean. Why are we, in my small town, hiring people to cut the grass and pick up the trash in our two housing projects? I mean, the residents are sitting inside watching Oprah on the large, flat screened TVs and we are paying someone to cut the damn grass and pick up their trash? And they can’t afford to feed themselves (we have to pay for that) but almost all of them have some kind of dog that poses a problem to meter readers and our police department. Last I checked, dog food is not covered by the Lone Star Card.
As Steve remarked, the woman gets $2,800/month in free taxpayer funds. That comes to a whopping $33,600 a year NON-TAXABLE income, paid for by the productive citizens of this nation. And that doesn’t count any programs that give her CASH to purchase the other items she might have.
Now, figure what a family of four, who has an income of $33,600 a year pays in taxes. Why should anyone who is in that income bracket even bother to work when the government can force other taxpayers to take care of them?
We usually don’t vote for the Democrats or any of their Socialist policys, but we do pay the bills. They do vote for the Democratic line, and they are paid well for their loyalty. You could say that we are the benelovent patrents of spoiled children, and as long as we support them, they love us. What we miss is that this is a business agreement, they work for the Democratic welfare, by voting as told to, and get paid with cradle to grave security. Sounds like Communism to me.
HEY FOLKS, THAT 26 MILLION IS A TYPO! TRIED TO CATCH IT BUT DIDN’T GET IT IN TIME. ITS SUPPOSED TO BE 26 BBBBILLION. 🙂 BIG DIFFERENCE.
Fixed it for you Steve.
Retire05: My husband and I have been maintaining that if anyone wants to collect welfare checks they need to colllect the litter off the highways, paint fences, just anything to make them earn the money.
This welfare system is destroying the nation. And I do understand how they have been rewarded by the party the vote for. It is time that we turn this mess around. I am tired of being bled dry by those who are capable of working but don’t
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!)
AyeChihuahua:
Thanks mate!
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.
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
I think my response to james is caught in spam?
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
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.
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.
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.
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.