President Obama just made a speech in which he plans to essentially grant amnesty to the poor, unfortunate, illegal aliens who have flooded across our borders. Government funds are going to be made available to assist them in the resettlement process.
The other day as I was using my credit card to pay for groceries in the local supermarket, I noticed a sharply dressed woman in front of me using food stamps. She showed no signs of being poverty stricken, and she wasn't buying salt pork, beans and bread. She had so much stuff she needed a cart to wheel it out. (Wonder how she's going to carry all of that home on the bus? Should I offer her a ride?) But since I was right behind her, we got out of the store about the same time, and I noticed her loading her bags into a late-model sedan driven by "a good neighbor" guy.
So, I wondered (again) as they say on the block, "What up wid dis welfare biz?" Having spent several years overseas in the U.S. Air Force, I had a chance to see some genuinely poor people. Trust me when I say that we don't have any of those here. Better yet, go see for yourself, but just don't spend all your time in the tourist areas. Go out where the real people live.
I am not hard-hearted, but what about poverty costs in the United States? Someone had to know the facts, so I went to check it out. I found a lot of information, and here is what just one someone had to say about women like the one in front of me at the supermarket.
"Annual means-tested welfare spending is more than sufficient to eliminate poverty in the United States. The means-tested welfare system consists of 69 federal programs providing cash, food, housing, medical care, social services, training and targeted education aid to poor and low income Americans. Means-tested welfare programs differ from general government programs in that they provide aid exclusively to persons (or communities) with low incomes." (Just FYI, there are almost 85 different poverty programs funded by the U.S. government.)
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"If total means-tested welfare spending were simply converted into cash benefits, the sum would be nearly four times the amount needed to raise the income of all poor families above the official poverty line. Since the beginning of the War on Poverty, the Unites States government has spent $15.9 trillion on poverty programs. In comparison, the cost of all other wars in U.S. history was $6.4 trillion (in inflation-adjusted 2008 dollars)."
I wonder where all that money comes from.
I just finished paying the punishment fee on my home. I am talking about the real-estate taxes I have to pay for daring to own my own home and the property it sits on. I have a septic tank, so there is a tax on that. Since I live in an area where I am responsible for providing my own water, I must pay a well permit tax. Oh, and did I mention I also pay taxes for the drainage that runs along the road in front of my house?
I not only pay state and federal income taxes but real-estate taxes, tangible personal property taxes, gasoline taxes (for having the temerity to own my own car), upon which I pay a registration tax, auto license tax, gasoline and tire taxes. I also pay a driver's license fee. (Yes, that's a tax.) I legally own my own gun so, of course, that requires a paid permit. Oh yeah, since I dare to own a phone, I pay 9-1-1 service taxes, federal excise, state and local taxes, universal access tax and, surprise, there is even a "minimum usage" surcharge tax. Since I own a small business, I pay a business registration fee. That isn't all I pay tax-wise, but I think you get the message.
For the sake of argument, let's say that you own a small business and do all that is required to succeed: work long hours and weekends, postpone vacations, miss anniversary dinners, kids' school plays (your wife goes – she keeps the home and does the books), etc., and you generate around $150,000 a year. In comes 'da Man and, after all the aforementioned fees and taxes, he demands another 33-35 percent in income tax, and the state wants another 5 percent. So, out of your $150,000 income, 'da man wants almost 50,000. And that isn't all; if you manage to do really well and your business grows, guess what? Yeah, and then they wonder why American businesses put trillions of U.S. dollars in overseas banks.
Am I complaining? Yes! I am being punished for being productive while the woman in front of me is rewarded for being slothful. If I work harder and longer to generate more income, the more stringent becomes my punishment. On the other hand, if the woman in front of me wants a raise, remember the dude driving the car? Well, all they have to do is … um, you get the picture.
How does the system work? The professional politicians – who are not subject to the same laws they pass on us – have made the process crystal clear: Punish success, reward sloth.
Media wishing to interview Ben Kinchlow, please contact [email protected].
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