The Truth About Public Assistance

The ultimatum 
Why have public assistance programs grown so much in the past few decades?

Is it people being lazy? No.  

Is it people abusing the system? Hardly. 

Is it out of necessity? BINGO! 

For decades the cost of living has increased with a minimal increase in wages. 

Individuals Receiving Food Stamps (Annual)

With the minimal increases in wages, productivity has skyrocketed and the profits have been reaped only for the top. I'm not a socialist by any means, but that is blatantly unfair! 

To continue, for decades education costs have skyrocketed with federal assistance (pell) staying the same. With the cost increases, parents have also had less disposable income to invest in their children's education. 

In a sense, we are in a new age of slavery. The working man has become an indentured servant to wall street. If we don't accept our meager wages, we don't work, subsequently we foreclose on our mortgage and our home goes to the bank. We earn just enough each week to give it back to the corporations that run our lives, and with that, they call foul at the thought of being regulated a little bit better or paying fairer taxes. 

Corporate profits are at an all time high, they are sitting on billions, and we are at the table begging for scraps like a dog.

The GOP has been bought. The 1% owns them, no doubt about it.  Super PACs have been formed to combat this information age.  Laws suppressing our right to vote have been passed.  And wall street is keeping us too busy to learn the facts so we may make informed decisions. 

We are being kept poor to make us dependent. Most of use either earn so little we are dependent on public assistance to get by, or we earn too much to qualify but just enough to get by. 

We are at a crossroads, do we expand public assistance, or get rid of outdated regulations and replace them with new effective ones that will allow us to EARN a livable wage? 

Are we going to increase minimum wage to coincide with the Cost Of Living? 
Are we going to fairly tax the rich who profit most from government spending? I'm talking about 50% + for people making $1,000,000 or more a year. 
Are we going to start enforcing anti-trust laws already on the books? 

These are the solutions to the problems we face. Give us minimal but reasonable laws and we can take care of the rest. Is everyone going to have the same opportunity? No. Is that a reason to stifle it for everyone else? No.

The Buffet Rule

The Buffett Rule

Many People on the right seem to HATE the idea of The Buffett Rule, often citing that there is no need because the rich pay more... They could not be more wrong.

If you think that the current tax system is fair, then get the hell out of here.

If you think the rich are "Job Creators" then get real! They are businessmen and women, NOT "Job Creators", they are rich because they have a good job or business. The only reason they will open a business is to make more money, taxing them less will not make them more willing to open a business.

The White House is pushing for The Buffett rule, and for good reason. As the rich get richer, the poor have been getting poorer; too much money is concentrated among the top .1%. If you are wondering why our economy is doing bad, it is because the middle class has shrunk so much, the people at the top are hoarding the money, and we are doing nothing to combat this oppression.

Both sides of the political isle need to get on the ball. There is a reason Taft drafted Anti-Trust legislation, they did not want too few companies having too much power. However, too few people now have too much power. Decades of low taxes gave the top earners the opportunity to stockpile their earnings and slow the flow of money throughout the economy culminating in a recession.

If we are going to fix this economy, then were are going to have to take some drastic steps, and yes that includes tax increases, minimum wage increases, and fair tax laws.