Originally published September 30 2013
Growth of food stamps 75 times faster than job growth in America
by J. D. Heyes
(NaturalNews) Some 40 years after the so-called "war on poverty" was begun by liberal Democrat President Lyndon B. Johnson, not only has poverty not been eliminated, but in terms of the percentage of the American population living in poverty, it has actually increased.
Yet, utopian master planners in government and public policy insist that the "war" must go on, as evidenced by the massive number of Americans added to public assistance rolls since Barack Obama became president.
Welfare growing much faster than work
In fact, despite the president's claims that his policies are creating "good-paying jobs," the opposite is true, and the proof is in the numbers. According to The Weekly Standard, which cited government statistics compiled by the office of U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.):
With the latest jobs report, it is now the case that "Under Obama, Food Stamp Growth [Is] 75 Times Greater Than Job Creation," according to statistics compiled by the Republican side of the Senate Budget Committee. "For Every Person Added to Jobs Rolls Since January 2009, 75 People Added To Food Stamp Rolls."
Since Obama took office in January of 2009, a net of just 194,000 new jobs have been created (that's "net" - the difference between jobs gained and jobs lost). During that same period, the committee report noted, 14.7 million people have been added to the food stamp rolls.
"Simply put, the President's policies have not produced jobs. During his time in office, 14.7 million people were added to the food stamp rolls. Over that same time, only 194,000 jobs were created - thus 76 people went on food stamps for every one that found a job," says Sessions, ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee. "This is a product of low growth. Post-recession economic growth in 2010 was 2.4 percent, and dropped in 2011 to 1.8 percent. This year it has dropped again to 1.77 percent. Few, if any, net jobs will be created with growth of less than 2 percent."
The report put these dismal figures into perspective:
In January 2009, there were 133.56 million Americans with jobs and 31.98 million on food stamps. Today, there are 133.76 million Americans with jobs and 46.68 million on food stamps. The employment rolls have thus grown by 0.15 percent and the food stamp rolls have grown by 46 percent, meaning that for every one American who found a job, 75 Americans signed up for food stamps. Meanwhile, during that time, our nation's debt has risen $5.63 trillion. Total spending on food stamps is now more than $80 billion annually, a fourfold increase from 2001. Total spending on federal means-tested welfare - food stamps, public housing, social services, cash aid, etc. - is now approximately $1 trillion. That amount is enough, if converted to cash, to send every household beneath the federal poverty line an annual check for $60,000.
Obama likes to brag about what he hasn't done - created a good economy
Obama likes to say his administration has created millions of jobs. But while that is true on its face, when you compare jobs created to what has been lost, the figure is far, far lower. Pathetic, in fact. During the Reagan recovery, over the eight years of his presidency, 20 million net new jobs were created, the biggest period of growth in U.S. history.
"Overall, in the last four years, the United States' gross federal debt has increased 53 percent, food stamp enrollment has increased 46 percent, and the number of employed persons has increased just 0.15 percent," the report said. "This picture, however, is even more ominous than it looks. While only 194,000 net jobs have been created since 2009, the working age population has increased by approximately 5 million - almost 25 times that amount.
"In other words, a shrinking share of working age adults have or are even looking for a job. The real unemployment number (U-6), therefore, is 14.6 percent," it said.
That's the true nature of the Obama economy: More welfare, fewer jobs, less opportunity.
Sources:
http://www.weeklystandard.com
http://usatoday30.usatoday.com
http://www.huffingtonpost.com
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