JB> This should make the Dems happy.....  and the rest of us   
    JB> afraid...   
      
    It should make you afraid, because it's your fault.   
      
    Note that they conflate social welfare with welfare. They define   
    social welfare as anything that isn't military.   
      
    They also declare a conflict between increasing earned wages and   
    decreasing welfare, not even coming up with the idea that the   
    way to reduce welfare *IS* to increase earned wages.   
      
    They do mention the economic problems as a contributor to the   
    problem, but fail to make it clear that the recession, following   
    8 years of Bush league economics, is the actual cause of the   
    problem.   
      
    We democrats want to end welfare, by having enough jobs to   
    employ all who need a job. Do that and welfare becomes moot,   
    except for the very few who are so severly handicapped they will   
    never be able to work.   
      
    Oh, and they strongly imply social security is welfare, and a   
    major cause of the problem.   
      
    JB> ========================================   
      
   http://www.cnbc.com/id/41969508   
      
    JB> Welfare State: Handouts Make Up One-Third of U.S. Wages   
      
    JB> Published: Tuesday, 8 Mar 2011 | 3:59 PM ET   
    JB> By: John Melloy   
    JB> Executive Producer, Fast Money   
      
    JB> Government payouts, including Social Security, Medicare and   
    JB> unemployment insurance—make up more than a third of total   
    JB> wages and salaries of the U.S. population, a record figure   
    JB> that will only increase if action isn’t taken before the   
    JB> majority of Baby Boomers enter retirement.   
      
    JB>   
      
    JB> Even as the economy has recovered, social welfare benefits   
    JB> make up 35 percent of wages and salaries this year, up from   
    JB> 21 percent in 2000 and 10 percent in 1960, according to   
    JB> TrimTabs Investment Research using Bureau of Economic   
    JB> Analysis data.   
      
    JB> “The U.S. economy has become alarmingly dependent on   
    JB> government stimulus,” said Madeline Schnapp, director of   
    JB> Macroeconomic Research at TrimTabs, in a note to clients.   
    JB> “Consumption supported by wages and salaries is a much   
    JB> stronger foundation for economic growth than consumption   
    JB> based on social welfare benefits.”   
      
    JB> The economist gives the country two stark choices. In order   
    JB> to get welfare back to its pre-recession ratio of 26   
    JB> percent of pay, “either wages and salaries would have to   
    JB> increase $2.3 trillion, or 35 percent, to $8.8 trillion, or   
    JB> social welfare benefits would have to decline $500 billion,   
    JB> or 23 percent, to $1.7 trillion,” she said.   
      
    JB> Last month, the Republican-led House of Representatives   
    JB> passed a $61 billion federal spending cut, but Senate   
    JB> Democratic leaders and the White House made it clear that   
    JB> had no chance of becoming law. Short-term resolutions   
    JB> passed have averted a government shutdown that could have   
    JB> occurred this month, as Vice President Biden leads   
    JB> negotiations with Republican leaders on some sort of   
    JB> long-term compromise.   
      
    JB> Smart Traders Taking Profits In Oil?   
    JB> Three ECB Rate Hikes, Too Much of a Good Thing for Euro?   
    JB> SLIDESHOW: Fast Money’s ‘Beat China’ Playbook   
    JB> “You’ve got to cut back government spending and the   
    JB> Republicans will run on this platform leading up to next   
    JB> year’s election,” said Joe Terranova, Chief Market   
    JB> Strategist for Virtus Investment Partners and a “Fast   
    JB> Money” trader.   
      
    JB>   
      
    JB> Terranova noted some sort of opt out for social security or   
    JB> even raising the retirement age.   
      
    JB> But the country may not be ready for these tough choices,   
    JB> even though economists like Schnapp say something will have   
    JB> to be done to avoid a significant economic crisis.   
      
    JB> A Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll released last week   
    JB> showed that  less than a quarter of Americans supported   
    JB> making cuts to Social Security or Medicare in order to   
    JB> reign in the mounting budget deficit.   
      
    JB> Those poll numbers may be skewed by a demographic shift the   
    JB> likes of which the nation has never seen. Only this year   
    JB> has the first round of baby boomers begun collecting   
    JB> Medicare benefits—and here comes 78 million more.   
      
    JB> Social welfare benefits have increased by $514 billion over   
    JB> the last two years, according to TrimTabs figures, in part   
    JB> because of measures implemented to fight the financial   
    JB> crisis. Government spending normally takes on a larger part   
    JB> of the spending pie during economic calamities but how can   
    JB> the country change this make-up with the root of the crisis   
    JB> (housing) still on shaky ground, benchmark interest rates   
    JB> already cut to zero, and a demographic shift that calls for   
    JB> an increase in subsidies?   
      
    JB> At the very least, we can take solace in the fact that   
    JB> we’re not quite at the state welfare levels of Europe. In   
    JB> the U.K., social welfare benefits make up 44 percent of   
    JB> wages and salaries, according to TrimTabs’ Schnapp.   
      
    JB> “No matter how bad the situation is in the US, we stand far   
    JB> better on these issues (debt, demographics,   
    JB> entrepreneurship) than other countries,” said Steve Cortes   
    JB> of Veracruz Research. “On a relative basis, America remains   
    JB> the world leader and, as such, will also remain the world's   
    JB> reserve currency.”   
      
    JB> --- PCBoard (R) v15.3/M 10   
    JB>  * Origin:  (1:226/600)   
      
   BOB KLAHN bob.klahn@sev.org   http://home.toltbbs.com/bobklahn   
      
   ... The problem is jobs... the solution is jobs...   
   --- Via Silver Xpress V4.5/P [Reg]   
    * Origin: Since 1991 And Were Still Here! DOCSPLACE.TZO.COM (1:123/140)