Here are four facts that ought to scare the daylights out of every person who cares about preserving individual freedom, economic opportunity and American self-reliance. According to the Heritage Foundation's latest Index of Dependency -- which measures the degree to which individuals rely on benefits funded by the tax payments of other Americans -- these four facts illustrate the reality that our country is losing the spirit of independence that is the heart of citizenship:
• Takers get more than makers: Individuals received on average $32,748 worth of benefits annually in 2010, the most recent year for which full data is available. By comparison, the average personal disposable income of tax-paying Americans was $32,446.
• More takers mean more costs for taxpayers: An estimated 67.3 million people in America depended on government for food stamps, retirement income, health care, job training and a host of other benefits. As a result, the dependency index rose 8.1 percent in 2010 over 2009, at a cost to taxpayers of $2.5 trillion.
Read more: http://washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/editorials/2012/02/takers-overtake-makers-threatening-american-self-reliance/266966
• Takers get more than makers: Individuals received on average $32,748 worth of benefits annually in 2010, the most recent year for which full data is available. By comparison, the average personal disposable income of tax-paying Americans was $32,446.
• More takers mean more costs for taxpayers: An estimated 67.3 million people in America depended on government for food stamps, retirement income, health care, job training and a host of other benefits. As a result, the dependency index rose 8.1 percent in 2010 over 2009, at a cost to taxpayers of $2.5 trillion.
Read more: http://washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/editorials/2012/02/takers-overtake-makers-threatening-american-self-reliance/266966
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