WASHINGTON, D.C. - The "wars" on poverty, drugs and terrorism have failed. The goals are noble on the surface, but they have been used - with scant results - to tax us more, employ more government workers and expand the power of Washington. All three "wars" have benefited only one group of people: the D.C. political class. If we had every penny back that we spent on these fake "wars," the country would be better off, and there would be no federal deficit.
If you now self-identify as "poor" and "aggrieved," you get money to sit at home.
Ron HartRecent data from the Senate Budget Committee tells the real story of how out-of-control our supposed "War on Poverty" has become. According to the latest census, about 17 million American families' income falls below the poverty line. Counting all federal and state spending on welfare, food stamps, health care, housing, Obamaphones and other handouts intended to buy their votes, we spend $61,000 per year on each household under the poverty line.
Of course they do not get all of that $61,000. The greasy hands of our government take and waste a lot of it before it gets to the supposedly needy. There are currently 80 federal "poverty" programs, none of which coordinate, nor care to, with the others. We spend more than $1 trillion per year on all of these duplicitous programs full of crony appointees and make-work jobs for bureaucrats and their families. Spending on such programs is up 32 percent since Obama took office. The recession ended around June of 2009. In a recovering economy, it is unprecedented how much government entitlement spending has grown. It's no longer need, it's greed.
We know it as the dependency welfare state. Thanks to Obama, 47 million now receive EBT/food stamps. The U.S. Department of Agriculture markets this program, often in Spanish, to encourage dependency. To Obama, this isn't welfare - it's voter outreach.
The Department of Health and Human Services was forced to admit that it sent checks for a total of $30 million to Medicaid recipients who were dead. These dead people are important to Democrats, as they will represent a large voting bloc in the 2016 presidential race.
Why not at least give the $61,000 directly to the folks in poverty? Then they would spend the money in the real economy, thus stimulating it. Get government out of the way, and let the free market work its miracles.
Bill Clinton shelters money in his foundation. John Kerry moves his yacht to another state to avoid taxes. Liberals are all for social justice until someone tries to take their money.
Poor people in our country have it better than the middle class in 90 percent of the world. Our "poor" are overweight, have smartphones and get angry when they are not taken care of by those of us who work and pay taxes. On the bright side, many are too fat to riot these days. Most Americans would not mind helping the poor, but for them to view us as the villains here makes this relationship unsustainable.
Immigrants now come to America to pursue the new American dream: food stamps, Section 8 housing, government-funded health care and disability payments. And if you can sue someone and win a jury verdict, even better.
The Boston Herald reported that the Tsarnaev brothers' family received more than $100,000 in EBT cards, government housing support, college grants and welfare cash during their short stay in America. Like many of our home-grown moochers, they felt no shame in taking from America. Then the brothers bombed, maimed and killed innocent people at the Boston Marathon. If I were prosecuting the case, I would name three more accomplices to their crime: our immigration system, political correctness and our welfare system.
Ron Hart is a syndicated op-ed humorist, author and TV/radio commentator. Contact him at Ron@RonaldHart.com.