the geography of govt benefits

by MaxEntropy_Man Sun Aug 12, 2012 9:27 pm

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2012/02/12/us/entitlement-map.html?ref=us

paul ryan wants to cut SS, medicare, welfare and other entitlement programs. check out the map above and draw your own conclusions.
you can also watch how that map changes from 69 onwards and compare it what you know about how political demographics has changed in the country during that time period.

by MaxEntropy_Man Sun Aug 12, 2012 9:49 pm

and the companion article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/12/us/even-critics-of-safety-net-increasingly-depend-on-it.html

so the summary of the story is that the guys below me in the income spectrum want to give the guys above me in the income spectrum huge tax benefits, while not giving up their own govt benefits. net net, i am screwed.

by MaxEntropy_Man Sun Aug 12, 2012 10:11 pm

these paragraphs summarizes the point of the article if you don't have the patience to dig through all of it:

One of the oldest criticisms of democracy is that the people will inevitably drain the treasury by demanding more spending than taxes. The theory is that citizens who get more than they pay for will vote for politicians who promise to increase spending.

But Dean P. Lacy, a professor of political science at Dartmouth College, has identified a twist on that theme in American politics over the last generation. Support for Republican candidates, who generally promise to cut government spending, has increased since 1980 in states where the federal government spends more than it collects. The greater the dependence, the greater the support for Republican candidates.

Conversely, states that pay more in taxes than they receive in benefits tend to support Democratic candidates. And Professor Lacy found that the pattern could not be explained by demographics or social issues.

Chisago has shifted over 30 years from dependably Democratic to reliably Republican. Support for the Republican presidential candidate has increased relative to the national vote in each election since 1984. Senator John McCain won 55 percent of the vote here in 2008.

by MaxEntropy_Man Sun Aug 12, 2012 10:37 pm

in addition to reading the article itself, read the comments by the readers too with personal accounts. it's a real eye opener. does anyone still want to side with the ryan/romney ticket after reading it? i want to know why.

by MaxEntropy_Man Sun Aug 12, 2012 11:41 pm

the more i dig through this article, the more i get amazed. watch the videos too. i don't know why this article didn't get as much press as it deserves to when it was first published some six months ago. these guys deserve a pulitzer.

by Idéfix Mon Aug 13, 2012 12:46 am

I have bookmarked it -- will read soon. It was eye-opening to see where the high levels of dependency on Big Government are. It would also be interesting to see these county-level statistics rolled up by state.

by MaxEntropy_Man Mon Aug 13, 2012 8:06 am

yes please do read it. this article must be made required reading for every high school senior, the group that is about to vote for the first time.

by MaxEntropy_Man Mon Aug 13, 2012 8:13 am

want to get a side of hypertension with your morning breakfast? here:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/08/25/1010500/-Tea-party-Rep-Cravaack-gets-union-disability-payments

by MaxEntropy_Man Mon Aug 13, 2012 8:29 am

look at this asshole's comment in the comments section of the NYT article:

he NYT has included the middle class in this article to broaden the blame for exhaustive spending on social relief entitlements that demonize the poor. The problem is that the NYT has included program use by the middle class that is not social relief.

Example: the "earned income tax" benefit is not a social program. Nice try.

Using social security or Medicare is not using social relief, especially if you paid into it all your life.

Using Federal breakfast programs is a use of social programs, no doubt, however, the man quoted as using it who has five children, obviously qualifies for it.
Unemployment is a social program, as is food stamps, and Medicaid.

We must make a difference between those who are using social relief and not paying into the system, and those who aren't paying anything into the system. The middle class are not the people abusing the system.

i am sorry but what world are you living in, you idiot? any program from which you take more than you paid into is a social program! so stop kvetching about welfare and focus on the big gorilla in the room, the SS & medicare trough from which you feed.

by Sponsored content

the geography of govt benefits

the geography of govt benefits

Re: the geography of govt benefits

Re: the geography of govt benefits

Re: the geography of govt benefits

Re: the geography of govt benefits

Re: the geography of govt benefits

Re: the geography of govt benefits

Re: the geography of govt benefits

Re: the geography of govt benefits

Re: the geography of govt benefits