Are entitlements corrupting us...?

 My Friend Shelldude posted this on Facebook and I am a firm believer of "If I like it..I will shamelessly "borrow" it and pass along the props to the author."

    

"In 1960, U.S. government transfers to individuals totaled about $24 billion in current dollars, according to the Bureau of Economic Analysis. By 2010 that total was almost 100 times as large. Even after adjusting for inflation and population growth, entitlement transfers to individuals have grown 727% over the past half-century, rising at an average rate of about 4% a year."

"In 1960, entitlement payments accounted for well under a third of the federal government's total outlays—about the same fraction as in 1940, when the Great Depression was still shaping American life.(...) By 2010 they accounted for just about two-thirds of all federal spending, with all other responsibilities of the federal government making up barely one-third."

And what happened just after 1960, boys and girls? Why, Lyndon Johnson's 'Great Society' programs, that's what. Thanks for nothing, Lyndon, you sorry bastard.

Are Entitlements Corrupting Us? Yes

online.wsj.com

With a treasure chest of government-supplied benefits readily available, a taker mentality has become part of our way of life, writes Nicholas Eberstadt.