The Foundation's annual Index of Dependence on Government jumped nearly 14 percent in the past year — the largest single-year increase since 1970.
Study director William W. Beach, who oversees the Foundation's Center for Data Analysis, described the result as "shocking."
"That's an enormous increase," he said. "The usual increase is somewhere between 3 to 5 percent, which is bad enough. But to see a 14 percent increase is just amazing."
The index is based on the level of federal government expenditures on a roster of services, including housing, health and welfare, education, food stamps, and so forth.
Beach expressed concern that, with nearly 50 percent of American wage earners paying no federal taxes, and a rapidly expanding culture of dependence in America, the nation may be approaching a tipping point after which it will be politically impossible to make the changes needed to restore competitiveness to the U.S. economy.
Terry Miller, a former ambassador to the United Nations Economic and Social Council during the Bush administration, predicted Monday that Americans' sharply increasing dependence on their government to take care of them would have a "terrible toll" on U.S. international competitiveness.
"The thing that's really set the U.S. economy apart from other economies in the world historically has been the economic freedom enjoyed by our citizens," said Miller. "This has been known as the land of opportunity.
"If that becomes instead 'the land of the government dole,' which it looks like it's becoming based on the really horrifying results [in the study]," he said, "then I think what you're going to find is Americans no longer able to compete internationally."
10 comments:
How shocking is this in light of the current recession. 10%+ unemployed equals alot of unemployment checks, food stamps, etc. This numbers will go down once we recover.
Its not the people who are out of work for the 1st time in yrs who drive these numbers up-its the chronically unemployed and welfare-state dependent people whose grandmothers and mothers lived off the system and now they do it too.Dont blame hardworking people who lost their jobs and almost lost everything they have worked for.
bluto: so what you are saying is that all of a sudden there was an explosion of these "welfare state dependent people" over the last year which drove this number up? The number did not go up due to the massive layoffs we have seen over the last 2 years?
Can you please get back in touch with reality and stop falling for that same old BS "welfare queens in cadillacs" line. I know it's easier to fall for that than it is to actually come up with well thought out solutions, but lets atleast try.
Our government encourages dependency. Think about it.
They have intentionally destroyed our economy and forced Americans to become dependent on a Socialist State.
signing bad trade deals with countries that we knew would outcompete our labor market, allowing unions to further increase hostility between workers and employers, and whining about tax cuts while begging for more ss, medicaid, and medicare are what destroyed the economy.
Dummies who blindly support Dem./Rep. talking points destoyed our economy.
Ideaological idiots who still see Obama as 100% evil/ 100% messiah are destroying our economy.
What in the heck are "government skyrockets"?
The govt is intentionally creating a dependent class-- that's the plan to keep themselves in power.
Here's an interesting thought-- how much of this increase in 'dependence on government' can be attributed to NON-US CITIZENS?
The waves of illegals (from many countries) flooding across the border every time the word 'amnesty' is mentioned.. and even the ones who came legally, but without the means to support themselves.
Watch the people in front of you in line at Giant, and see how many are paying with Independence cards..
'Independence' for them-- financial servitude for you as you pay for their cart full of stuff.
We're in BIG trouble, Folks.
I agree with anonymous who says this is intentional...
it is the dream of every liberal to have the rest of us need him to think for us...so he can be paid a handsome wage and maintain a great lifestyle his entire life for doing so..
if you dumb@$$es on the right would stop dreaming up bogus conspiracy theories and actually help push this cart out of the rut we're in, something might actually get done.
who gets their automatic 4.2% raise in income every year...
regardless of how mediocre a job they do?
who destroyed the confidence of Americans in the American Economy so they could elect themselves somebody they could depend upon to keep their wage prospects bright?
who needs us to be in a rut..like FDR made sure our Country stayed in for his entire 16 years in office so they can expand their purview to grow unchecked with no checks and balances?
Answer..the public sector liberal
It is he that ensures that only those who think just just like him... gets the positions they make available and it's usually some friend's nephew or niece..
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