I decided to check it out for myself. First, I didn't use Google to look up these stats. I found a new browser that says they don't track you. I also get different results when I use them versus Google or Yahoo. It's called IXQuick Web.
So, here's what I found out. Mind you, this is from Wikipedia, a very left leaning source:
"Poverty is defined as the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions.[1] According to the U.S. Census Bureau data released Tuesday September 13th, 2011, the nation's poverty rate rose to 15.1% in 2010, up from 14.3% (approximately 43.6 million) in 2009 and to its highest level since 1993."
Let's think about that one for a minute. It's at the highest level since 1993. Do any of you out there know who was President in 1993? Bill Clinton, a Democrat.
It goes on:
"The government's definition of poverty is not tied to an absolute value of how much an individual or family can afford, but is tied to a relative level based on total income received. For example, the poverty level for 2011 was set at $22,350 (total yearly income) for a family of four."
OK, so for a family of four, you have to have at least one wage earner who makes more than $11.64 an hour. With no government benefits. This is, after all, the total income a person makes.
According to EHow:
"Income guidelines from the federal regulations are complex, but compare gross income to 130 percent of the federal poverty guidelines and net income at 100 percent. There is a 20 percent deduction for earned income and another $142 deduction for households with one to three members. Income guidelines for Texas require a net income of $22,050 or 100 percent of federal poverty guidelines or less for a family of four, according to "The Dallas Morning News" in a 2009 report. Unearned income counts, including worker's compensation and other social programs."
So, that was for Texas food stamps. They list the minimum income as $22,050, so 130% of poverty is $50,715. That's $24.38 an hour and you qualify for food stamps. I don't exactly call that hurting. So, your net income has to be 100% of poverty ($22,050) - or less for a family of 4? Gross income can be 130%? I'd say it's confusing.
Also according to EHow:
"All states have a work requirement you must meet to keep your TANF benefits once your receive them. TANF recipients must engage in a certain number of work hours or work activities or risk their benefits being reduced or terminated. Each state must help TANF users develop a self-sufficiency plan, which takes into account skills, work history and education. As of 2011, single parents generally must work or participate in work activities for at least 20 hours per week, although single parents with children under the age of 6 cannot be penalized if they can't work because they cannot find adequate child care. Two-parent families must work for a combined total of 35 hours, which goes up to 55 hours if the parents get child-care assistance. Teen parents must attend school or job training activities."
Did you catch the part about if you have children under the age of 6 you can't be penalized if you can't find work because you can't find child care? So, just make sure you keep at least one child under the age of 6 and you don't have to work... that means when the child turns 7, you better have an infant in the house. No wonder grandparents are raising their teenagers illegitimate children as their own.
And 2 parent families have to work more hours? That only encourages single parent families.
So, I decided to find out what the minimum wage is, and once again I used Texas because that's where I live. The minimum wage in Texas is $7.25. So, if you work 20 hours you have a yearly income of $7540. (That's $7.25 an hour for 20 hours a week, 52 weeks in a year.) That qualifies you for welfare and food stamps. I also looked that up, and according to Answers.com:
"Allowance benefits vary in what is paid out to individuals or families for any of the welfare programs. As each state regulates their own SRS programs, payment allowances will vary from state to state based on geography, cost of living and employment/educational opportunities within that state.
However, a basic average guideline for the food stamp program will show that an average family of 4 can expect an amount up to $500 per month for food stamps. This figure will greatly vary based on the age of the family members and medical needs. A single person household will show an expected average of up to $200 per month. Again, these figures are averages and not state specific.
Cash allowance benefits for financial assistance will also be state regulated and allowances paid will also vary based on different criteria. However, an average expectation can be placed on a family of 4 receiving up to $900 for their TANF allowance. A single person household can expect an average of up to $300.
These allowance benefits would be separate from any additional welfare benefits received such as child care, medical or utility assistance."
So, an average person, working 20 hours a week (80 hours a month, not taking into consideration every 3rd month you get 5 pay days), makes about $580 a month. Add with that the $200 in food stamps and the highest amount of welfare ($300 for single), that makes a monthly income of $1080. That's $12,960. If they worked the whole 40 hours a week, it would mean $10.37 an hour ($13.50 an hour for a 20 hour week). How is that poverty? And this number doesn't reflect Medicaid, help with child care (as in being able to deduct it off your taxes?) and assistance with utilities because "you're poor." If you have 2 people working, you need a total of 35 hours, so at minimum wage (once again only counting 4 weeks in a month, 12 months) and only adding the $500 food stamps and $900 welfare, your yearly income would be $28,980 before medicaid and other bennies.
Let's figure this on minimum wage and a 40 hour week: A minimum wage job in Texas would be $7.25 an hour, for a week, it would be $290, and a year it would be $13,920.
So you'd still qualify for benefits, add $500 for food stamps and $900 for welfare: now you make $30,720. In order to get that wage and be off government benefits, you would have to make $16 an hour ($17.25 if you only want to work the 35 hours). That's over double the minimum wage. In order to make that, you would have to have some education. So, I guess the proponents of redistribution of wealth would put the living wage at $16 an hour - for flipping burgers. Can you imagine what a whopper would cost? And if you think forcing places like fast food joints to pay their help $16 an hour would mean you can still feed a family of 4 for under $30, you're smoking something and I want some. It would turn into something closer to $60 for a family of 4 because they would still need to keep the lights on.
How is this encouraging people to get off Welfare? You have to make $16 an hour for a family of 4 to get off government benefits to make the same amount you can make working 40 hours and getting government benefits. And if you get off the government feed trough, you have to pay for your own medical, child care and utilities.
They should cut welfare and food stamps by 10% every year until it's not advantageous to get it. You should be making the poverty line WITH the benefits. That would encourage people to 1.) get a job and 2) be married with children instead of pushing out babies in order to get more money from the government. Welfare is supposed to be a hand up, not a hand out. It was for women who had a husband leave them and were forced to get a minimum wage job when they already had kids and had been out of the work force for a while. It was to help them until they could get a job that paid well enough to survive.
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