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From: orb@whuxl.UUCP (SEVENER)
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Re: Government waste
Message-ID: <331@whuxl.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 7-Nov-84 11:04:30 EST
Article-I.D.: whuxl.331
Posted: Wed Nov  7 11:04:30 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 9-Nov-84 06:16:41 EST
References: <20300001@hpfcla.UUCP>
Organization: Bell Labs
Lines: 25

> I thought this was a facinating statistic on government waste:
> 
> 	'Professor Ronald Nash...points out that the United States
> 	spends $250 billion a year to fight poverty.  This is enough
> 	to make an annual payment of $34,000 per year to each family
> 	below the poverty line.  Black economist Thomas Sowell points
> 	out that the amount to raise every family above the poverty
> 	line has been calculated and in total it amounts to one-third
> 	of the amount spent to fight poverty.'
> 
> 
> 			Steve Wolf
> 			[ihnp4,hplabs]!hpfcla!woof

Sorry if I have to venture enormous skepticism about this statistic.
Just what are they considering in this $250 billion figure? All of
Social Security? All of Medicaid? All of student loans?
These "social programs" are not intended to fight poverty.  They
primarily go to the Middle class, not the poor.  The programs which
primarily go to benefit the poor are AFDC (Aid to Families with Dependent
Children) and Food Stamps.  The total of those two programs is in the
neighborhood of $20 billion.  A far cry from the $250 billion figure cited.
I would like to see the list of programs being included in this 
$250 billion figure.  
Tim Sevener whuxl!orb