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It always puzzles me to hear people say that they think the social safety net "pendulum" has been swinging too far in the direction of personal responsibility.

by jeremyt 11y ago

It always puzzles me to hear people say that they think the social safety net "pendulum" has been swinging too far in the direction of personal responsibility. By any measure, social safety net spending is significantly higher than it has ever been. News comes out every day of some new government mandate like paid parental leave, paid personal days, etc. The minimum wage is creeping higher every day. Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare spending has never been higher. We just passed a massive, expensive, entitlement known as Obamacare, which provides (or was supposed to) health insurance to everyone in America. Obama, during his first term, passed a massive expansion of government-subsidized student loans. We are in the process of a significant expansion of home loans for low income and people with dodgy credit. Except for the very limited, bipartisan, welfare reform under President Clinton (which has since basically been reversed), I'm not aware of any shrinking of the welfare state that has happened in the last 20 years.

ScottBurson 11y ago
> The minimum wage is creeping higher every day. Not in constant dollars [0]. It peaked in 1968. It's a bit lower than that now -- if you accept the official inflation estimates, which some argue are understated. > Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare spending has never been higher. True, though as a percentage of GDP, Social Security hasn't increased that much since 1975 -- it reached 4% then, and is around 5% now. [1] I'll let you look up the numbers on Medicare and Medicaid. The situation with the ACA is complicated -- it is costing some money in the short run, but (a) it's less than originally projected, and (b) more importantly, it does seem to be curbing healthcare inflation (something is, anyway). All that said, your point that the welfare state hasn't been shrinking, either, is a fair one. Perhaps it's fairer to say -- as I think the OP is arguing -- that economic conditions, particularly since the Great Recession, and especially the fact that the middle class has been shrinking in recent years, put us in a situation where the need for the safety net is arguably greater than it had been until recently. [0] http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/07/23/5-facts-about-the-minimum-wage/ http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/07/23/5-facts-abou... [1] http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/social_security_spending_by_year http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/social_security_spending...

by jeremyt 11y ago

ScottBurson 11y ago

> The minimum wage is creeping higher every day. Not in constant dollars [0]. It peaked in 1968. It's a bit lower than that now -- if you accept the official inflation estimates, which some argue are understated. > Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare spending has never been higher. True, though as a percentage of GDP, Social Security hasn't increased that much since 1975 -- it reached 4% then, and is around 5% now. [1] I'll let you look up the numbers on Medicare and Medicaid. The situation with the ACA is complicated -- it is costing some money in the short run, but (a) it's less than originally projected, and (b) more importantly, it does seem to be curbing healthcare inflation (something is, anyway). All that said, your point that the welfare state hasn't been shrinking, either, is a fair one. Perhaps it's fairer to say -- as I think the OP is arguing -- that economic conditions, particularly since the Great Recession, and especially the fact that the middle class has been shrinking in recent years, put us in a situation where the need for the safety net is arguably greater than it had been until recently. [0] http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/07/23/5-facts-about-the-minimum-wage/ http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/07/23/5-facts-abou... [1] http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/social_security_spending_by_year http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/social_security_spending...