The Poor and Welfare Spending in the US

Since 1964, when the War on Poverty started, the United States has spent almost $16 trillion, which is a 17-fold increase since 1964. Despite "reforms," Welfare spending continues to rise. This year alone, Welfare spending is projected to be nearly 1 trillion!

What are we getting for the money being spent? As of 2009, the United States had approximately 43 million "poor" people vs. approximately 40 million in 1959. As a result, Welfare programs have simply failed to reduce the (1) number of poor persons and (2) causes of poverty.

How Poor are the American Poor? Well, Heritage.org compiled the following facts from various government reports about persons defined as "poor" by the Census Bureau:

• 91% of poor households have either a landline or cell phone (32% have both).
• 43% of all poor households actually own their own homes. (The average home owned by persons classified as poor by the Census Bureau is a three-bedroom house with one-and-a-half baths, a garage, and a porch or patio. And, only 6% of poor households are overcrowded. More than two-thirds have more than two rooms per person.)
• 80% of poor households have air conditioning. (By contrast, in 1970, only 36% of the entire U.S. population enjoyed air conditioning.) 
• The average "poor" American has more living space than the average "non-poor" or middle class individual living in Paris, London, Vienna, Athens, and other cities throughout Europe. (Again, these comparisons are to the average citizens in foreign countries, not to those classified as poor.)
• 75% of poor households own a car; 31% own two or more cars.
• 97% of poor households have a color television; over 50% own two or more color televisions.
• 78% have a VCR or DVD player.
• 62% have cable or satellite TV reception.
• 89% own microwave ovens, more than 50%  have a stereo, and more than 33% have an automatic dishwasher." 

As you can see, the average person defined as poor in the United States lives in a material world that is comfortable, especially when compared to the rest of the world. In the end, the growth of welfare spending is simply unsustainable and will drive the United States into bankruptcy if allowed to continue unchanged.

Source Heritage.org