THE FEDERAL SAFETY NET TO AID LOW-INCOME AMERICANS
- Antipoverty programs
- Welfare and Social Security Reform
- Poverty in the U.S.
- Improvements, Cost Savings and Deficit Reduction
A resource for policy makers, taxpayers, social workers and the poor.
Last updated May 9, 2012 - What's New?
WELFARE VOICES - WHICH ARE YOURS?
Too many people are hurting; children go hungry; we
simply must do more.
More .......... 
Welfare is not a proper function of the federal government and doesn’t work. More ........
Our country is going broke. Our children and grandchildren will pay the price. We must control
entitlement spending. More ... 
| The Safety Net for Low-income Americans
Did you know in 2010 we could have pulled all Americans out of poverty for a cost of $165 billion (Census Bureau numbers)?
Did you know we spent $358 billion fighting poverty in the federal government in that same year? Are you curious where all that money went? Answers and More … Did you know there are 12 different programs in the federal government to support low-income Americans? Did you know those programs are run by 7 independent federal agencies? More … Two-thirds of us think our welfare system either has no impact or does more harm than good. In a 2011 Rasmussen survey 49% of Americans believe that antipoverty programs actually increase the level of poverty in the U.S. Another 19% say they have no impact and 20% think they lower poverty. The rest are not sure. That’s a pretty strong rebuke of our Federal Safety Net. More
Benjamin Franklin said:
To relieve the misfortunes of our fellow creatures is concurring with the Deity; it is godlike; but, if we provide encouragement for laziness, and supports for folly, may we not be found fighting against the order of God and Nature, which perhaps has appointed want and misery as the proper punishments for, and cautions against, as well as necessary consequences of, idleness and extravagance? Whenever we attempt to amend the scheme of Providence, and to interfere with the government of the world, we had need be very circumspect, lest we do more harm than good.
Most of us would agree – we have a duty to help the poor. We also have a duty not to do more harm than good. It’s a delicate balance. So how are we doing? This website reports on the federal antipoverty programs and answers that question. We conclude it is time for meaningful change. |
Federal Spending – Fiscal Year 2010
In Billions of Dollars
