Study: More Than Half a Trillion Dollars Spent on Welfare But Poverty Levels Unaffect

Individual:

Why do you constantly evade debate?

 

Indie

I’m no record as saying I think it needs to be re-written, but you should now that since we’ve discussed it before.

 

First find out who wrote the quote I responded to in my post. I have no means of doing so. Just reading the words should tell you that it did not come from my mind.


I believe it was roo, so ask him.

 

RooRshack:

Did you ask Individual about "the point of a central government" then edited it out at post 1532?

 

StpLSD25 posted this elsewhere and i thought it was more relevant here


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25

This post would probably be better placed in the welfare thread (I’ll put a copy there) –

I’m not sure what you mean by ‘nanny state’ can you explain?

If that had happened in the UK the man would have been prosecuted for fraud. Why didn’t that happen in the US?

Can you back this up? In what way are the ‘rich’ and ‘poor’ stealing from government?

 

25

When the US was doing well economically - and there was a huge rise in the number of the middle class - was in the period from the end of WWII to the rise of neoliberal ideas. During those periods the top tax rate was much higher (94% in 1945, down to around 70% in 1970) and the national debt was reduced from the war time high of 117% of GDP to a reasonable 32.5% in 81.

But in the thirty odd years of neoliberal ideas there was a huge increase in the wealth of a few while the real term incomes of those below have either stagnated or fell. While the policies pursued have also caused a ballooning of the national debt and brought about a social and political system where wealth have great (and in my opinion too much) power and influence.

The problem I see with much right wing ideas is that it would most likely increase the power and influence of wealth even more while making life worse for most people in society through the implementation of even great neoliberal policies.

Here is something I posted earlier

After WWII the US’s national debt was up to around 117% of GDP it was brought down in just 36 years less than one generation (by 1981 it was down to 32.5%) until successive right wing and neo-liberal policies (tax cuts and anti-communist military spending) from the 1980 onward increased it cumulating in the profligate spending and tax cuts of the Bush Admin. At the same time the free market ideology (deregulation, hollowing out of manufacturing and a belief that the ‘new’ markets were safe) set up the financial sector for a fall and has caused the debt to rise to around 80-90% of GDP.

The problem isn’t ‘government’ the problem is a right wing, wealth supported, neo-liberal, free market ideology that hijacked the system.

Try - The Decline and Fall of the America Empire: Part One 1945-
http://www.hipforums.com/newforums/s...?t=435209&f=36

Fall in top rate tax
1945 - 94%
1970 – 70%
1982 - 50%
1990 - 28%
2010 – 33%


Rise in top levels of pay
In the 1950’s CEO pay was 25-50 times that of an average worker that has risen to 300-500 times by 2007.
A bigger gap than any other developed nation.

Trade deficit
1960 – Trade surplus of 3.5 billion
2008 – Trade deficit of 690 billion
(The last time the US posted a trade surplus was in 1975)

Decline in manufacturing
1965 - Manufacturing accounted for 53% of the US’s economy.
2004 – It accounted for 9%
The Economist (10/1/2005) stated: “For the first time since the industrial revolution, fewer than 10% of American workers are now employed in manufacturing.”