Some countries/cultures take pride in caring for their own. Not America. Its politicians continually complain and try to reduce/cut. Why?

@bhwilson -- Did you pay cash for your house? Your car? Have you never ever used a credit card? Have you never utilized a public structure that was financed with bonds?

If you answered "No" to any of the above questions, you have no standing for your response.

I have never had loans equal to the National Debt. It is somewhere around $140K for every man, woman, and child in the USA. Cyprus already robbed it's citizens of their bank savings to pay their governments' debt. Crazy!

@bhwilson -- So, you've never had the income potential or the long-term prospects of continuing to have steady income that the United States government has either.

The US debt-to-GDP ratio is around 105%. That puts it 11th in the world. No one is screaming, "OH MY GOD! JAPAN/BELGIUM/SINGAPORE/PORTUGAL ARE HORRIBLY IN DEBT. THEY'LL BE SEIZING BANK ASSETS SOON!"

But I understand. Whining about the national debt is great coded speech for, "TEH STOOPID EBIL LIBRUHLZ IS STOOPID...AND EBIL!" because it doesn't appear so overtly partisan.

Just to add a point here on 'stealing your money' - the 'quantitative easing' supported by the vast majority of western politicians in response to the 2008 crash effectively does this by the back door.  It's just a theft you don't notice until it's too late.  :)

Sure there is.

But, of course, RAWFs focus on the waste, fraud, and abuse associated with poor/urban/ethnic people, not where the largest amounts are.

This post was edited by OldSchoolTheSKOSlives at December 30, 2016 6:54 AM MST

SIGH. I wonder how much we'd save if the wealthy were taken off the welfare dole completely OS?  Billions? Trillions? It boggles the mind. Mahalo for your reply and the graphic! :)

@RosieG -- In Zepzauer's book, he estimated corporate welfare to be about $400 billion annually. The book is somewhat outdated, so it's difficult to know whether that figure is still accurate or not.

But, to put it in perspective, when Bill Clinton ended "welfare as we know it" back in the late-1990s, the reforms were projected to save $56 billion over 7 years (or $8 billion/year).

Simple math question: Which number is greater? $400 billion or $8 billion?

Yet the focus on government "waste" is almost always pointed at comparative small potatoes. Curious, isn't it?...;-D..

People react within the limits of their perceptions/abilities my long-time friend. We both know that. If you are a two-dimensional character being in a 3-dimensional world is beyond your understanding/comprehension/ability to navigate. I do believe that is what we have here. That explains the Trump worshippers better than anything else. Their limitations are probably not their fault. They were born that way. Do you blame a cat for attacking a bird? Of course not. That is its nature. And so it goes. BIG SIGH. Mahalo for your reply! :) ((hugs))

I want to eliminate all wasteful spending in all levels of government. Why would anyone be for wasteful spending?

@njm -- In the real world, we do not have the time, energy, or resources to acheive everything. We have to set priorities.

So, when RAWFs complain about government money lost to "waste, fraud, and abuse", they COULD advocate for doubling the IRS's budget (estimated "savings" from reduced tax evasion: $250-$400 billion), or they could advocate for not letting people on food stamps purchase steak and shrimp with their benefits (estimated savings: $0, since the recipient will buy other food).

http://dailysignal.com/2016/02/22/hold-the-lobster-this-new-york-legislator-wants-to-prevent-luxury-purchases-with-food-stamps/


Guess which approach is far more popular?....;-D...