Willard's cuts to "European-style Welfare"

[Doctor_J]

Willard Romney says he wants to cut out "European-style welfare". But what does that mean? Is he talking about the fact that no one in Europe ever goes bankrupt because of an illness? Anyway..

Here is the US budget for this year



So what "welfare" would Mr. Romney cut? Defense? I am sure he doesn't consider that welfare. Is it the interest on the debt incurred by Ronald Reagan and George Bush? Paying that is not really optional. Is it the "Discretionary Spending"? Here is what's in there.



What will Willard's "major cuts" be? Law enforcement (Government)? Heaven forbid. Veterans Benefits? I hope not. Education? Everyone in Europe gets a college education paid for - there is nothing left to cut. So the remainder is a drop in the bucket

The conclusion? Willard's "European-style welfare" means Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security. Why won't he just say that?

[banned from Kos]

1. Good question. They use a generic term like "welfare" as a mallet, of course.

But I will play devil's advocate for a moment.

Where is TANF in your pie chart?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/TANF

(TANF is a direct monetary payment - replaced AFDC in the 90s)

[Doctor_J]

2. and a dog whistle

"welfare" = "welfare queen" = "black woman in cadillac" = "probably a relative of the president"

I'm not sure about TANF. I got the 2-chart breakdown from nationalpriorities

[banned from Kos]

3. Right -- The reason I ask is because TANF is very small - about 1% of the budget.

If you get a wingnut to define "welfare" you can win the argument easily - as your charts show.

They could say "food stamps" (SNAP) - which is larger. But it is protected by Republicans on the Ag Committee. Con Agra LOVES food stamps.

Medicaid is also a possible answer. But it is directed at the elderly and children. Only 12% of Medicaid benefits are paid to non-elderly adults.