I don't want to appear that I'm pointing a finger, but......

Yet, none of the politicians see any of this as a problem to be fixed, but rather an opportunity to exploit for their own gain. At least, it seems so based on their actions. Sure they will occasionally make noises like they have some understanding that there is a problem that needs to be addressed, but when it comes time to actually do something, it pretty much always seems to be the exact opposite of what would be a good start to fixing things.

Take care,
Cindi

Wherever we point the finger...I have gotten to where I DO have a litmus test for politicians when it comes to benefits. If they vote to cut food aid, of any kind, to anyone...I will not only vote against them, but actively encourage others to do the same. We have enough ignorant cold blooded bastards running this nation already, without even more of them to hurt the poorest, so the voters "think" something got done, when all that actually happens is to take food from people.

This is what pisses me off on how this subject is played by the people in power....

I am 100% for giving those in need a hand up, not a hand out. Criteria can and must be established and enforced in regards to such handouts such as the EBT program that Wrabbit pointed out. Such standards should be applied across the board.

Many of you know that I am retired military and as such, I receive my benefits. But if I am ever convicted of a felony or even spend 90 plus days in jail for whatever reason, I lose everything. 31 years down the crapper. I actually think that is a good rule. GI Bill benefits are similar, you have to achieve a certain grade point average to continue to receive them. That is how it should be as well.

But the laws are not enforced in many cases where welfare benefits are concerned. Fraud is rampant, and rarely punished.


'When the people find that they can vote themselves money that will herald the end of the republic.'

Yep, you have that right. The thing is though, I have spoken to many Vets, both retired and those who only served one term, and they had no clue either. I'm just one of those guys who loves to read and finds if something sounds good, then there must be a bad side to it as well. I knew this before I retired and would help brief the guys who were transitioning out of my unit so I included that tidbit of information while advising them on what was available to them. It always took them by surprise.

But you have to be convicted of a felony. A misdemeanor arrest would not affect the Vets benefits.

The VA benefits are a different story though. Those cannot be affected by a Felony or 90 plus day iron bar hotel stay.

Just as a side edit: Some one who has served honorably one term makes them a Vet, not a Retired Vet. In order to get the latter, one has to serve 20-plus years or be retired for medical reasons. Though if a Vet who served his/her one term of obligation and now collects Social Security, I guess you could call them a Retired Vet, but it is a totally different set of benefits they receive. 

In your chart, the biggest cost seems to be healthcare.  The problem is that work places require employees to have a doctors excuse if they miss a couple of days of work for an illness.  My wife had to go to the doctors a half a dozen time because she was sick for a few days.  She had sick days and when she retired she was maxed out and got paid for half of them, she lost sickdays every month from not using them.  Others she worked with were taking the sick days as soon as they got them.  So doctors visits had become a requirement because of people abusing their sick days.

Now every time someone goes to the doctors, it brings rates up.  The insurances are regulated, so they get a set percentage of money over expenditures so the more they spend the more they make now.  So as long as the government allows something, they usually allow it because it means they get more money.  Five percent of a billion is more than five percent of a half billion.

Schools require kids to go to a doctor if they miss a couple of days too, this is stupid, kids get sick.  They need a doctor's excuse or the kids get penalized if they miss time and have to stay after school or come in on a weekend.  This promotes using insurances, when most time it is just some virus that knocks them down for about four days or so.  The schools have to stop doing this, this is lowering money available for the school budgets from the government.  This is eventually going to effect their coverage on the teacher's insurance, raising rates which raise copays.

Society has created a medical monster which will consume everything if we do not watch out.  When I was young, Insurance for a family was about thirty five to forty bucks a month, and most people never got their money's worth out of it.  You didn't go to the doctor unless you couldn't kick an illness or unless you had an accident.  Now, the doctors offices are packed, vaccinations may be cheap, but the doctor appointments are around two hundred bucks.

Health care is bankrupting our country, Obamacare did not fix this, it was meant to spread the costs.  The problem is that if you are paying a premium, you desire to use the service and this leads to an actual increase in the use of medical services and an escalation of rates in a few years.  We will be seeing this shortly.

This whole country has become a big mess economically with too high a percentage being in the medical/Pharma/medical supply industries.  We are becoming a hospital nation where everyone is working for the medical related industry or paying into it.   It's going to tumble.

rickymouse,

If you are referring to the first black chart I made, vs. the second breakdown by a site I referenced? The black chart isn't covering 1 dime of medical cost. Not even a penny of it. That is totally unrelated to medical. Social Security Disability (SSI/SSD) is medically related, but the costs of the medical attention is entirely removed from the benefits paid for numbers there. The total of over 1 trillion is ONLY Social Security paid to those who retire, and Social Sec paid to those classified as disabled. Nothing else. 

For Medical..it is similar, but recall, the trillion dollar totals are NOT connected. These are cumulative totals, if you want to take them together.