Americans constantly hear about the threat of "entitlements," which in
the case of Social Security and Medicare are more properly defined as
"earned benefits." The real threat is the array of entitlements demanded
by the very rich. The following annual numbers may help to put our
country's expenses and benefits in perspective.
$220 Billion: Teacher Salaries
According
to the Bureau of Labor Statistics there are just over four million
preschool, primary, secondary, and special education school teachers in
the U.S., earning an average of $54,740.
$246 Billion: State and Local Pensions
Census
data shows a total annual (2012) payout of about $246 billion. Only
about $100 billion of this came from state and local governments, with
the remainder funded by employee contributions and investment earnings. A
recent Pew study showed a little over $100 billion in annual state
contributions to pensions, health care, and non-pension benefits.
$398 Billion: Safety Net
The
2013 safety net (non-medical) included the Supplemental Nutrition
Assistance Program (SNAP), WIC (Women, Infants, Children), Child
Nutrition, Earned Income Tax Credit, Supplemental Security Income,
Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, Education & Training, and
Housing.
$863 Billion: Social Security
Social
Security is the major source of income for most of the elderly, and it
is an earned benefit. As of 2010, according to the Urban Institute, the
average two-earner couple making average wages throughout their
lifetimes receive less in Social Security benefits than they paid in.
$2,200 Billion: Tax Avoidance
That's
$2.2 trillion in tax expenditures, tax underpayments, tax havens, and
corporate nonpayment. It is estimated that two-thirds of tax breaks
accrue to the top quintile of taxpayers.
$5,000 Billion: Investment Wealth
That's
$5 trillion dollars a year, the annual amount gained in U.S. wealth
from the end of 2008 to the middle of 2013. Even though the whole
country continued to grow in productivity, most of the new wealth went
to the very richest people. According to Oxfam, the wealthiest one
percent captured 95 percent of post-financial crisis growth since 2009,
while the bottom 90 percent became poorer.
Another View: Annual Per Capita Numbers
The
following are averages, which are skewed in the case of tax breaks and
investment income, as a result of the excessive takings of the .1% and
the .01%. Details of the calculations can be found here.
$8,600 for each of the Safety Net recipients
$14,600 for each of the Social Security recipients
$27,333 for each of the Pension recipients
$54,740 for each of the Teachers
$200,000 for each of the Tax Break recipients among the richest 1%
$500,000 for each of the Investment Income recipients among the richest 1%
The super-rich feel they deserve all the tax breaks and the accumulation of wealth from the productivity of others.
This is the true threat of entitlement.
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