l****z
发帖数: 29846 | 1 by Ryan
The federal government provided about twenty percent of Americans’ personal
income last year through channels such as jobless benefits, food stamps,
Social Security, and disability. As the New York Times stated:
Close to $2 of every $10 that went into Americans’ wallets last year were
payments like jobless benefits, food stamps, Social Security and disability,
according to an analysis by Moody’s Analytics. In states hit hard by the
downturn, like Arizona, Florida, Michigan and Ohio, residents derived even
more of their income from the government.
Moody’s estimates that $37 billion of various benefits are set to run out
this year. Let’s all hope the job market bounces back by 2012, because
there will be a $37 billion hole in spending to account for with this alone.
While $37 billion is a very small percentage of US GDP, any decreases in
personal spending are unwelcome to the 18.4% of underemployed workers.
It is also pretty astounding that the government currently provides twenty
percent of personal income. This kind of reliance on government, or frankly
anything close to it, cannot end well in the long run. For the time being,
Americans should be counting their lucky stars for Europe. US bonds are
still viewed as safe while the comparatively less productive, larger welfare
states of Europe are mired in the same after effects of the financial
crisis. Both the US and the Eurozone have this in common: debt up to their
eyeballs, expansive monetary policy, and a fiat currency. |
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