For a slightly more refined analysis of the problem:

www.econtalk.org/archives/2012/04/autor_on_disabi.html

Welfare never ended. It's just called "disability" now.

"Welfare never ended. It's just called "disability" now."

BINGO. SSI + SSDI + EITC + food stamps, health care, free housing, babysitting, heat, air conditioners, cell phones, Pell Grants and more.
Welfare, under its new names, is bigger than ever.

The best way to do away with freeloaders is to abolish inherited wealth.
OldTimeLefty

OTL,
Are you in competition with the Arizona troll?

""Welfare never ended. It's just called "disability" now.""

Claims have sky-rocketed, as people have transitted off of either welfare or unemployment and onto federal disability, under a much too loose definition of "disability". (Anxiety, for example, is apparently considered a disability.)

That alone is unacceptable. Then add in the "checkered" care that veterans get from the VA. John Loughlin, filling in yesterday on WPRO, had on a guest who said it took him a full YEAR to start getting the proper medical care when he was returned home wounded in combat.

How can this possibly be the order of our priorities??? Kick all those leeches off "disability" and take care of our vets! (On the latter point, by the way, where is Senator Jack Reed?)

OTL - Not sure what this has to do with inherited wealth, but you should be happy to know that it is usually gone within a generation or two. Not so with welfare, unfortunately...

Who do we hate more?

A. Able bodied men standing in a welfare line

B. Anyone standing in a welfare line

C. Able bodied men standing in a welfare line saying they intend to vote for Obama

D. Stupid Liberals

Who do you hate more?

A. Workers who look and sound like illegal immigrants

B. Workers who belong to unions

C. Workers who work at health care clinics that provide women with reproductive services

D. Stupid Liberals

Who do you hate more?

A. Workers who are surly when handing you your coffee

B. Workers at any DMV

C. Workers who get out of work before you do

D. Stupid Liberals

Dan
The big money involved in inherited wealth never disappears. Consider that Prescot Bush inherited his money, parlayed into a senatorial career, George the 41st took advantage of his silver spoon and eased himself into politics while the English language coming from his mouth degenerated into half sentences and George the 43rd, a.k.a as "George the Decider" continued the process of inherited position and English language deteriorization. Not picking especially on the Bush family, could have just as easily pointed to The Quayles or the McCains or the Kennedys - get the idea?

The disappearance of inheritance in a generation or two happens with smallish inheritances. The great inheritances go on and on and on. You are not looking deep enough or are not being honest.

"Turning $10.00 to $20,00 is work. Turning a hundred million to 200 hundred million is inevitable." Can you see how this works to destroy meritocracy?
OldTimeLefty

You have two choices, continue the entitlements, or buy lots of guns and ammo. There are hoards of people who do not vote, do not work, do not care and do not intend to do without. They won't work for what they think they are entitled to, they will take what is yours if you do not continue to give it to them willingly. The government knows this, and is simply keeping the peace for as long as they can.

Things are ugly in the real world. The misrepresentation of real society by the media and government will not go on forever. Soon, very soon I believe, the clothes will come off, and the naked truth will be exposed. Then, all of this Liberal vs. Conservative nonsense will be shown for what it is, a bunch of entitlement minded fools pecking away at their keyboards while little by little the world around them went to pieces.

The masses won't care which side of the debate you were on, they will murder, steal and rape both sides indiscriminately.

*disclaimer, I just spent seventy-eight hours in Providence, watched a good cop die waiting for a Johnston rescue because Providence's six were tied up with the usual assortment of drunks, helpless and homeless people, listened to a stabbing victim ramble on about getting those punks, fought with a junkie who decided I was his problem, scraped half a dozen drunks off the sidewalk and brought them to an overloaded ER where people from "the outside" watched the parade of morons with horror. I'm a bit jaded at the moment.

Michael - You offer a unique and valuable set of insights into the Rhode Island experience. However, it is worth keeping in mind that this experience is not universal. Many states have done a fine job containing the problems you describe. The "masses" of which you speak flock to where they are being fed and quickly lose interest once the trough is removed. As the saying goes, you don't have to outrun the bear. You only have to outrun the slowest member of your party.

You only have to outrun the slowest member of your party. Who would you be content with leaving behind?

A. Those that do not work because their spouse works (see Ann Romney)

B. Those who do not have to have work because they retired believing that the promises made will be kept

C. Those whose family wealth passed down allows them not to have to work

D Sammy the Troll

I think it is undoubtable that we have made an implicit decision to "buy off" the under classes. The alternative is not that they would "get a job". The safety in the streets would return to it's former condition, we would return to former times. When you see all of those sword canes and canes with weighted heads in antique shops, do you think our ancestors were feeble? Then there are the "pocket pistols" so common in the 1880's. How about all of those "Armories" in toney neighborhoods (three in Central Park)? That was for when "the rabble rose in the streets".

If you think that I am wrong about a flare up if we cut it, read the Massachusetts papers. The MBTA is reducing its subsidy (welfare) to commuter rail passengers. There is an awful lot of anger there. But explain to me why they deserve the subsidy? Imagine if we eliminated the "mortgage deduction".

Dan suggests that some states have got a grip on it. It would be interesting to see if those states have large urban areas populated by the underclass.

But, we are all on the dole. Explain to me the "equity" of mortgage deductions and dependency exemptions.

I am not happy with the situation, but we have done it to ourselves, everyone is on the dole. If you can't understand the underclass, let's have show of hands on people prepared to give up their mortgage deductions and dependency exemptions. They are inching us, it wasn't so long ago that they took away the "interest deduction" on car loans. That made it "tax smart" to mortgage your house to buy a car.

There are disgusting anecdotes like the guy in the video with 5 kids, by 4 mothers. But, we created the subsidy about 50 years ago, not them. Now, to them, it is a "right". Just like the mortgage deduction.

As a society, we allow "slavery reparations" to be spoken of with solemnity. Why don't we point out that most Euro-Americans are descendants of serfs(slaves?). How about demanding reparations for the estimated 600,000 (recently raised to 720,000) Euro Americans who died in a war that set them free?

I think it is undoubtable that we have made an implicit decision to "buy off" the under classes. The alternative is not that they would "get a job". The safety in the streets would return to it's former condition, we would return to former times. When you see all of those sword canes and canes with weighted heads in antique shops, do you think our ancestors were feeble? Then there are the "pocket pistols" so common in the 1880's. How about all of those "Armories" in toney neighborhoods (three in Central Park)? That was for when "the rabble rose in the streets".

If you think that I am wrong about a flare up if we cut it, read the Massachusetts papers. The MBTA is reducing its subsidy (welfare) to commuter rail passengers. There is an awful lot of anger there. But explain to me why they deserve the subsidy? Imagine if we eliminated the "mortgage deduction".

Dan suggests that some states have got a grip on it. It would be interesting to see if those states have large urban areas populated by the underclass.

But, we are all on the dole. Explain to me the "equity" of mortgage deductions and dependency exemptions.

I am not happy with the situation, but we have done it to ourselves, everyone is on the dole. If you can't understand the underclass, let's have show of hands on people prepared to give up their mortgage deductions and dependency exemptions. They are inching us, it wasn't so long ago that they took away the "interest deduction" on car loans. That made it "tax smart" to mortgage your house to buy a car.

There are disgusting anecdotes like the guy in the video with 5 kids, by 4 mothers. But, we created the subsidy about 50 years ago, not them. Now, to them, it is a "right". Just like the mortgage deduction.

As a society, we allow "slavery reparations" to be spoken of with solemnity. Why don't we point out that most Euro-Americans are descendants of serfs(slaves?). How about demanding reparations for the estimated 600,000 (recently raised to 720,000) Euro Americans who died in a war that set them free?

Well stated, Warrington, I was just ranting, your analysis is actually frightening.

The Potomac forms a natural moat around Northern Virginia that keeps out most of the wandering homeless. The political model of the District of Columbia has for decades been catering to the dependent class. In many ways, it's similar to the Rhode Island political-dependency cycle. There is no incentive for such people to make a long trek across the Arlington Memorial Bridge with their multiple families into a state that will make them work for what they receive.

Posted by Dan:
"The political model of the District of Columbia has for decades been catering to the dependent class."

Unless I am very mistaken, they also use the police to "sweep" the mall area of undesireables to prevent them being seen.

"The Potomac forms a natural moat around Northern Virginia"

But, have a look at the homicide rate in Richmond.

The sad thing about it is that the underclass is always presented as black. This does such a disservice to the 70% (or more) of blacks who lead productive, normal lives. The white underclass is rarely spoke of. But every day, at Dunkin Donuts, I see them; fat, tattooed, women trailing 2-3 kids. That a high percentage of the kids are bi-racial probably says something, but I am not sure what. Since I have become a "face" there and these people do not recognize conventional social mores, I was recently approached by a woman, 150lbs overweight, to announce her delight with being pregnant. By artificial insemination, I wonder who paid for that. I will say this, their white male companions seem complacent and not disposed to violence. That may be a drug induced haze. I have made inquiry of "regulars", they tell me the number on "medication" is very high. As is the rate of "disablity".

The Dunkin Donuts referred to above is not in an "inner city" neighborhood. That may skew some factors.

Posted by Monique:
"Then add in the "checkered" care that veterans get from the VA."

Unfortunately most VA doctors and other employees view themselves as working in a "drunk tank". That had long been the highest percentage of their work. Sad.

I used to know a VA doctor, her salary was comical. That was in the 80's when female doctors were still having a hard time with employment. I am not sure where salaries are now.

Warrington-true,there are quite a few drug dependent,alcoholic,nd crazy aptients in the VA system-a lot of them wound up that way because of what they saw and did,and then got sh*t on when they came home.
However,do not try to characterize the attitude of VA providers with a callous,"drunk tank"attitude-I haven't met better doctors or nurses,or other health care professionals anywhere.
Since 2006,I've had six surgical procedures and two other inpatient stays for non-surgical medical conditions and got great treatment,including two instances where I was literally "circling the bowl".
I've never used illicit drugs,I drink moderately,don't smoke,and despite what OTL and Phil might think,am not mentally ill.
The VA providers have a lot of patience aand are always respectful even when the patients might not be.
@Michael-Thanks for impartig reality to a discussion that was getting a little theoretical-I didn't know about the tied up Providence rescues-I happen to have known that officer from before he was a full time PPD patrolman-he was a correction officer and was also a PPD reserve officer in his off time-a very decent guy and a terrible shame to have lost him and even worse considering what you related.
Getting "rid"of inherited wealth and getting"rid"of entitlements are both stupid ideas-I think the best bet is trying to allow American industry to be competitve.
All I can say is I'm glad I grew up in an america I can remember as the paragon of productivity and standard of iving for the world.I wouldn't want to be young nowadays.