there's been a multi-pronged approach from the right Louis infighting
against social programs welfare benefits and so many other things that
every other country at the same level of development that the US has and
considers art of their society there's been the argument that
it is not the responsibility of the government to provide
things for the poor to those who need who are in need
there's the argument that the recipients don't deserve those benefits
there's the argument that too many recipients abuse the system
there's those who argue that it is just too expensive to have social welfare
programs
and then there are those who argue that it actually
hurts those who are paying in to these
benefits but not receiving any of them
I want to focus today on the expense want that welfare programs are just too
expensive
the washington post has an article which is debunking the recent
talking point from the right that a million are I'm sorry
that a trillion dollars a year are being spent on welfare
and that the spending doesn't reduce poverty
at all this has been circulating on conservative media on Fox News
as the Washington Post rights you'll probably see the following line
added to the trillion dollar claim it's true
according to a recent report we spend a trillion dollars on means-tested
programs each year
yet the official census numbers show no
reduction in poverty now if you read that second line you might say oh
that line supports the we spend a trillion on poverty and we don't help
anybody get outta poverty
it actually weakens it Louis because we're the trillion number is coming from
is by wrapping in a whole bunch of stuff
including I i mean i i cant even tell you all these things like for example
I benefit medical benefits that are part of medicaid for example those are being
included as part of the war against poverty
welfare that isn't having any effect on poverty poverty
all sorts of programs that are really what is being spent
on poverty are being wrapped into that so let's look at what is actually being
spent Louis if you look at what is actually being spent on
fighting poverty directly welfare to fight poverty we have
$55 billion spent on the earned income tax credit
twenty-one billion on Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
$43 billion for SSI Social Security
$75 billion on food stamps $18 billion on housing vouchers and child tax credit
that's a total
a 212 billion even if we are to include
heart %uh the spending on things like title1 grants headstart
adoption assistance which why are we saying adoption assistance
is part of welfare to reduce poverty adoption crosses
any number for lack of a better term up social up the social positions and
social classes even if we apportion
part of that to the war on poverty we are nowhere close to this bogus
trillion-dollar numbered that we're hearing
I'm not at all surprised at the number has been exaggerated now
way it is really all just a numbers game in and people use different statistics
and numbers and
and I'm yet they use to their advantage and of course then we can go on to talk
about
the stimulative effect love certain provisions of welfare and what
percentage of what say that $75 billion
used for food stamps I you know
is being quite I directly back into small businesses
there's two elements that are missing one is the one who is mentioned
which is think about the positive effect on the economy up the government
spending the money on food stamps versus tax cuts for the rich
exponentially more stimulative but number two the argument that the earned
income tax credit in food stamps for example don't lift people out of poverty
is bogus and you just have to think about it think critically for second
if you make 11480 nine dollars or did in 2013
which was one dollar below the federal poverty line
you work able to receive the earned income tax credit
and food stamps now your income will still show
as 11,000 489 you were technically still
in poverty but you are obviously much better off
with the earned income tax credit and the food stamps then you would be
without it
so we have to think ladies and gentlemen just because your taxes don't show
that your out of poverty doesn't mean
that the earned income tax credit in food stamps are lifting you up
its it's just absurd people just need to think for a sec
right it's easy just to shout out these numbers and say we're spending too much
but you have to look at the details