Unions suffer sharp decline in membership

[Wickabee]

of all people on welfare and the people in charge of running it

What percentage of America is that.

I like how you tacked on the"people in charge" at the end there. Scream about the people taking but use people giving for your numbers. That should inflate things nicely, right?

[shrewsbury]

wickabee,not sure the % of americans it would equal, but 30% of the money being wasted is 30%! I am not sure of all the totals but just in ohio 250 million on foodstamps alone. even at 20% that is 50 million in one program in one state. 50 million that could be used for job training, education, and additional help for those that need it.

and the people that are taking are on both ends, thus the term take.

[Wickabee]

wickabee,not sure the % of americans it would equal, but 30% of the money being wasted is 30%!

Yeah, but 30% of nothing is nothing. If there are 3 people on welfare, then that's 1 guy minus his toes.

I am not sure of all the totals but just in ohio 250 million on foodstamps alone. even at 20% that is 50 million in one program in one state. 50 million that could be used for job training, education, and additional help for those that need it.

How many people are they spending it on?

and the people that are taking are on both ends, thus the term take.

I want to know about the people on welfare. That's who you scream about the most. Those 30% of something that live the high life on welfare. You keep shifting goalposts and you've given no real numbers to back up your view. I'm not saying you don't have the right to have a viewpoint you can't defend.

I do notice that when it comes to people, you only have percentages of imaginary numbers, yet, when it come to money, you always know the amounts. I guess we know what's important to you.

[matt_curren]

no one gave me anything, not even welfare. my taxes paid for it, I had to sign up for it, and go back for evaluations all the time.
perhaps our idea of "someone gave it to you" is different?

My idea of 'someone giving you something' includes the part where you signed up for it. Because... you signed up for it and then someone gave it to you.

This is getting weirdly personal, but based entirely on what you said, you got that help from the government before you had paid into the system.
And you deserved it! You had made some bad choices, needed help, got help, and straightened out your situation and things NOW are obviously great for you.
That help you got, helped you get where you are now. But yet, now, when you see others needing help you seem to believe many of them not entitled to that same help you recieved.

And -about that- others needing help... we are s-l-o-w-l-y dragging ourselves out of the worst economic disaster since the great depression so it's reasonable to assume that things like welfare & other social services would be used more frequently right now. People on the right honestly seem to think we have turned into a country of lazybone welfare queens who would rather live off the government than get a job. I don't buy that. The economy still sucks, the job market still sucks, and people are still struggling from the recession. It was a perfect S-storm & the government is broke because of a lot of reasons:

Less tax revenue coming in b/c of job losses
bigger burdens (legitimate ones) on welfare programs b/c of job losses
bigger burdens (legitimate ones) on health care programs b/c of job losses
housing bubble bursting/foreclosures
A war
Another war!
Bailouts for Banks
Stimulus programs (created to keep recession from becoming depression)

Sure, welfare abuse is bad. I'm not 'for' it. Nobody is. But all the food stamp fraud and Obamaphones in the U.S. in a year probably costs less than a day of war in afghanistan. (full disclosure I am basing that 100% on opinion, it could totally be 2 days) I get that you are pissed that your money is going to help someone who might not REALLY need it. I'm pissed my tax dollars went to invade a country that never attacked us or had WMDs. A key difference is that ALOT MORE of our tax money went to the thing that irks me.