For those of you who think too much government spending goes to welfare...

[Billy000]

United States Total Spending Pie Chart for 2012 - Charts

Health Care: 18%

Pensions: 16%

Defense: 15%

Education: 15%

Welfare: 11%

 

[alan1]

United States Total Spending Pie Chart for 2012 - Charts

Health Care: 18%

Pensions: 16%

Defense: 15%

Education: 15%

Welfare: 11%

Healthcare is part of welfare, that makes it 29%.
Last I looked that isn't what the founders and writers of the constitution saw as government responsibility.

 

[MeBelle]

United States Total Spending Pie Chart for 2012 - Charts

Health Care: 18%

Pensions: 16%

Defense: 15%

Education: 15%

Welfare: 11%

Doesn't it kind of freak you out that there is more spending on pensions than education, defense or welfare?

 

[Billy000]

United States Total Spending Pie Chart for 2012 - Charts

Health Care: 18%

Pensions: 16%

Defense: 15%

Education: 15%

Welfare: 11%

Healthcare is part of welfare, that makes it 29%.
Last I looked that isn't what the founders and writers of the constitution saw as government responsibility.

That's a pretty weak argument, wouldn't you say?

 

[Billy000]

United States Total Spending Pie Chart for 2012 - Charts

Health Care: 18%

Pensions: 16%

Defense: 15%

Education: 15%

Welfare: 11%

Doesn't it kind of freak you out that there is more spending on pensions than education, defense or welfare?

Can you not wrap your head around the fact that people NEED pension?

 

[Avatar4321]

United States Total Spending Pie Chart for 2012 - Charts

Health Care: 18%

Pensions: 16%

Defense: 15%

Education: 15%

Welfare: 11%

Doesn't it kind of freak you out that there is more spending on pensions than education, defense or welfare?

Doesn't it bother you more that our government and people have become so corrupt that 3 of those 4 categories are completely unconstitutional for the Federal government to be involved in and the people arent up in arms about it?

 

[Avatar4321]

United States Total Spending Pie Chart for 2012 - Charts

Health Care: 18%

Pensions: 16%

Defense: 15%

Education: 15%

Welfare: 11%

Healthcare is part of welfare, that makes it 29%.
Last I looked that isn't what the founders and writers of the constitution saw as government responsibility.

That's a pretty weak argument, wouldn't you say?

Only if you want to lie about it.

 

[Avatar4321]

United States Total Spending Pie Chart for 2012 - Charts

Health Care: 18%

Pensions: 16%

Defense: 15%

Education: 15%

Welfare: 11%

Doesn't it kind of freak you out that there is more spending on pensions than education, defense or welfare?

Can you not wrap your head around the fact that people NEED pension?

Must have missed that memo.

So when did nature establish this need?

 

[Billy000]

United States Total Spending Pie Chart for 2012 - Charts

Health Care: 18%

Pensions: 16%

Defense: 15%

Education: 15%

Welfare: 11%

Doesn't it kind of freak you out that there is more spending on pensions than education, defense or welfare?

Doesn't it bother you more that our government and people have become so corrupt that 3 of those 4 categories are completely unconstitutional for the Federal government to be involved in and the people arent up in arms about it?

What makes the constitution so sacred? I really don't understand it. The Founding Fathers - as smart as they were - didn't have it all figured out. I mean how could they? How could they predict how American society has evolved over the centuries?

 

[MeBelle]

United States Total Spending Pie Chart for 2012 - Charts

Health Care: 18%

Pensions: 16%

Defense: 15%

Education: 15%

Welfare: 11%

Doesn't it kind of freak you out that there is more spending on pensions than education, defense or welfare?

Can you not wrap your head around the fact that people NEED pension?

Can you not answer a straight forward question?

 

[Lakhota]

Pensions include Social Security which people paid into their entire working lives (government currently owes Social Security about $2.5 trillion).

Health Care includes Medicare which people paid into their entire working lives.

 

[MeBelle]

United States Total Spending Pie Chart for 2012 - Charts

Health Care: 18%

Pensions: 16%

Defense: 15%

Education: 15%

Welfare: 11%

Doesn't it kind of freak you out that there is more spending on pensions than education, defense or welfare?

Most of those are military pensions.

Chris, hit the link and do the drill down. What you say is not correct, according to this pie chart. And FWIW, I don't think this blogger's assumptions (since the numbers are guesstimates) are even close to real spending. He has also spun categories.

 

[Billy000]

Doesn't it kind of freak you out that there is more spending on pensions than education, defense or welfare?

Most of those are military pensions.

Chris, hit the link and do the drill down. What you say is not correct, according to this pie chart. And FWIW, I don't think this blogger's assumptions (since the numbers are guesstimates) are even close to real spending. He has also spun categories.

What categories have I spun exactly? How is reporting exactly what the pie chart says spin?

 

[MeBelle]

Pensions include Social Security which people paid into their entire working lives (government currently owes Social Security about $2.5 trillion).

Health Care includes Medicare which people paid into their entire working lives.

You too! Click and drill. Seriously, look at what the chart is actually saying.
Some +'s I couldn't even get to open.

 

[MeBelle]

Most of those are military pensions.

Chris, hit the link and do the drill down. What you say is not correct, according to this pie chart. And FWIW, I don't think this blogger's assumptions (since the numbers are guesstimates) are even close to real spending. He has also spun categories.

What categories have I spun exactly? How is reporting exactly what the pie chart says spin?

Are you the author of the pie chart?

 

[Avatar4321]

What makes the constitution so sacred? I really don't understand it. The Founding Fathers - as smart as they were - didn't have it all figured out. I mean how could they? How could they predict how American society has evolved over the centuries?

Absolutely nothing if we ignore it.

But personally, I like freedom. I appreciate the fact that our Founders, using the knowledge and experience of thousands of years of human history, organized, what is still, the most perfect form of government revealed to man. I like the fact that they used this knowledge to ensure that power was invested in and around the people rather than in a central bureaucracy. I like the fact that they realize that human nature does not change and recognized the need to check human nature by separating power and localizing it.

See they realized something that far too many people ignore today: That human nature has not and will not change. At least, in our fallen state. So there must be safeguards enacted to prevent tyrants, dictators, and totalitarians from overrunning the people's freedom.

They realized that in order for people to reach their fullest potential, they have to be free to govern themselves. They need government to stay out of their way and allow them the freedom to fulfiill their responsibilities. Otherwise people suffer more than they need to.

If you don't understand what's amazing about the US Constitution than you either don't understand human nature or you don't understand the Constitution. I recommend studying both.

 

[Avatar4321]

Pensions include Social Security which people paid into their entire working lives (government currently owes Social Security about $2.5 trillion).

Health Care includes Medicare which people paid into their entire working lives.

You didn't "pay into" jack. You were taxed so others would benefit. In other words, the government robbed you of your hard earned cash so politicians could buy votes knowing that by the time you got around to collecting your "payout" that the system would collapse and you be dead broke.

 

[Billy000]

What makes the constitution so sacred? I really don't understand it. The Founding Fathers - as smart as they were - didn't have it all figured out. I mean how could they? How could they predict how American society has evolved over the centuries?

Absolutely nothing if we ignore it.

But personally, I like freedom. I appreciate the fact that our Founders, using the knowledge and experience of thousands of years of human history, organized, what is still, the most perfect form of government revealed to man. I like the fact that they used this knowledge to ensure that power was invested in and around the people rather than in a central bureaucracy. I like the fact that they realize that human nature does not change and recognized the need to check human nature by separating power and localizing it.

See they realized something that far too many people ignore today: That human nature has not and will not change. At least, in our fallen state. So there must be safeguards enacted to prevent tyrants, dictators, and totalitarians from overrunning the people's freedom.

They realized that in order for people to reach their fullest potential, they have to be free to govern themselves. They need government to stay out of their way and allow them the freedom to fulfiill their responsibilities. Otherwise people suffer more than they need to.

If you don't understand what's amazing about the US Constitution than you either don't understand human nature or you don't understand the Constitution. I recommend studying both.

There's so much all-or-nothing thinking on this board, isn't there? You just automatically assume I hate freedom and the constitution. Where do you get off? I actually respect and admire the constitution a great deal.

However...

We NEED gov agencies like the EPA, TSA, FAA, FDA etc. Can you imagine what would happen if corporations could do whatever the hell they wanted? It's horrific to think about.

 

[Lakhota]

Pensions include Social Security which people paid into their entire working lives (government currently owes Social Security about $2.5 trillion).

Health Care includes Medicare which people paid into their entire working lives.

You didn't "pay into" jack. You were taxed so others would benefit. In other words, the government robbed you of your hard earned cash so politicians could buy votes knowing that by the time you got around to collecting your "payout" that the system would collapse and you be dead broke.

I paid into it my entire working life and now I'm collecting during my retirement years - just like I was told I would.

 

[Avatar4321]

Pensions include Social Security which people paid into their entire working lives (government currently owes Social Security about $2.5 trillion).

Health Care includes Medicare which people paid into their entire working lives.

You didn't "pay into" jack. You were taxed so others would benefit. In other words, the government robbed you of your hard earned cash so politicians could buy votes knowing that by the time you got around to collecting your "payout" that the system would collapse and you be dead broke.

I paid into it my entire working life and now I'm collecting during my retirement years - just like I was told I would.

No. you were taxed your entire life. You were robbed and your money was given to someone else.

Now you are doing the Robbing.