Over $60,000 in Welfare Spent Per Household in Poverty New data compiled by the Republican side of the Senate Budget Committee shows that, last year, the United States spent over $60,000 to support welfare programs per each household that is in poverty. The calculations are based on data from the Census, the Office of Management and Budget, and the Congressional Research Services. "According to the Censusâs American Community Survey, the number of households with incomes below the poverty line in 2011 was 16,807,795," the Senate Budget Committee notes. "If you divide total federal and state spending by the number of households with incomes below the poverty line, the average spending per household in poverty was $61,194 in 2011." http://www.weeklystandard.com/blogs/over-60000-welfare-spentper-household-poverty_657889.html
Twenty years ago Ross Perot asked the same question: If the average "poor" family is getting $40k per year in money and services (that's what it was back then), then how can they still be poor?
wouldnt it be easier to just hand over 40k a year cash to every "poor" household and simply shut down every single program out there? think of all the money we'd save and how streamlined everything would be! im not joking. although i already know what would happen.. everybody and their mother would suddenly be 'poor'.
Figure 4.1. General government expenditures as a percentage of GDP (2006) <img src="http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/9789264075061-en/images/graphics/g04-01.gif">
The question being raised by the OP is an important one: What are we getting for our money? If a poor family receives $60k in money and services from the government and is still poor, then the government has failed. When spending a lot of money yields a bad result, spending more money will not yield a better a result because the system is screwed up.
Fair enough, I just wanted to put the spending in perspective. Edit: of course, to be fair (to myself), the subject line doesn't say "government spending on the poor is a colossal failure".
the system just buys votes for Democrats. All the public sector workers that handle the welfare money before it hits the streets and all the recipients of said monies are owing to the Democrats.
Just throw this out there basically because I can't recall much of what I'm about to post but I think it works like this. Success of a program is based on some formula of spending (I'll just use some random numbers) for example, If it costs the Fed 5 dollars to get one dollar in the hand of the beneficiary this would be a success. Now if it cost 25$ to get a dollar in the hands of the poor Congress might not go for that number but 5 for one is probably "efficient" by Fed standards. Obvioulsy this looks like a poor return for us taxpayers but we haven't a formal education in "Other peoples money" bean counting or "Congressional" math. peace out bitchez.....