Yes I see, so anything that effects low-income people right? How about the welfare for farmers, big business and the wealthy? This is expensive as hell as well. Or how about that welfare machine called the US military? You can define welfare as anything that government pays for, directly or indirectly.. and that is a lot.
Yes but how about this.. how about making it so that the welfare programs are not needed? That is the root of the problem, like it or not. Low wage growth, a medical system based on having a job, a debt based economy and massive income inequality.. that is why you need the welfare programs in the first place. So telling people.. you are slackers, and are your own because we wont pay for you.. wont work. It never has and never will. All it will do, is increase criminality and poverty.
And how much did these same people spend on bailing out the banking industry 8 years ago?
Now dont get mad, because I am trying to make a point here.
Welfare should be a stop gap and temporary.. I think most people would agree to that. Problem is that to keep it temporary, then the ability to have jobs that actually pay enough to live off must be prioritized and it is here the US and some western European countries have failed big time the last many decades. We have used failed economic theories that have prioritized the big companies and wealthy over the small/medium companies and middle class. The so called trickle down effect is and always has been bogus and THAT is one of the reasons for more and more being used on welfare. When wages dont keep up with inflation, then at some point people have to go to welfare systems to make up the difference... so while Paris Hilton earns millions a year and pays next to nothing in taxes, the pay checks of the average Joe stay the same at best, but they can buy less and less for it.
And before you go on about me being anti-American and a damn foreigner, then I have to tell you that all nations suffer from these problems to some degree or another. In my own country we are having a debate right now about the 800k people living off the state. Now over half the population get some sort of state aid (pensions and such), but the 800k number is the one people are talking about. Now in this case there is a lot of right wing bull**** involved.. from my own party (yes I am ashamed that they use such tactics), because in the 800k are 40k or so women on maternity leave (yes we have paid maternity leave) and 250k on early retirement. But the point is, that even in "socialist" welfare Denmark we are talking about the slackers in society and what to do about it and how to bring down welfare costs.