One of every six dollars comes from Government

[mikesilvia]

Republicans warned this would happen and now the "Nanny State" is a reality. If you are not receiving any of the money expect to be paying for it in taxes soon!

The recession is driving the safety net of government benefits to a historic high, as one of every six dollars of Americans' income is now coming in the form of a federal or state check or voucher.

Benefits, such as Social Security, food stamps, unemployment insurance and health care, accounted for 16.2% of personal income in the first quarter of 2009, the Bureau of Economic Analysis reports. That's the highest percentage since the government began compiling records in 1929.

In all, government spending on benefits will top $2 trillion in 2009 — an average of $17,000 provided to each U.S. household, federal data show. Benefits rose at a 19% annual rate in the first quarter compared to the last three months of 2008.

Wouldn't it have been better to just send $17,000 to each household? Or does the government know better how to spend the money?

[GrimUSMC]

thats appaling. Here comes communism, so people dont have to work hard anymore and the goverment will just give them everything. Sickening.

[angel0430]

Mike.....that is a great idea. If you don;t spend that money wisely then you are not going to get more

[TheTGB]

I don't see why they just didn't let the banks and everything fail and bail out the American people first. Probably could have saved a ton of money.

[tutall]

I don't see why they just didn't let the banks and everything fail and bail out the American people first. Probably could have saved a ton of money.

I dont want the bailout... If i pick a bad company to work for that is my problem when they go bankrupt. I agree that the companies should have failed but american people need to fail also. Buy a house too big for what you can afford you deserve to lose your house... Load yourself on credit cards you deserve to have your credit ruined to the point you dont get credit for a while. It makes me sick the amount of checks we cash every day from the government for people who could find a job if they tried. We enable it by rewarding people for being lazy.