Letter To The Editor, Bedford Gazette, 2.21.12

The following is a letter published on 2.21.12 in the Bedford Gazette.  I post it in hopes of a wider audience.  Others BCP's may want to do the same.

Letter to the Editor - Bedford Gazette -

I saw a couple of items in the New York Times for Feb. 12, 2012  that complement Elaine Sollenberger’s recent letter, and go to a similar observation -- that those who unthinkingly spout anti-government rhetoric ought to take a look before, out of spite for their faces, they make a bloody mess by slicing off their noses.  

First,  an interactive map on “The Geography of Government Benefits,” shows how much people in each county in the country receive from all government programs, including Social Security, Medicare, VA benefits, food stamps, earned income tax credits, disability, and the like. In Bedford County, the figure is $8827.00 per person per year, almost 29% of total personal income. In both Cambria and Somerset counties, the figures are higher --  $10,262 (31%)  and $9006 (29%). The national average is 17.6% of personal income.

The other item -- also based on the US Census -- was an article, “Even Critics of Safety Net Increasingly Depend on It,” which makes the point that while many people recognize too much is going out compared to what is coming in, pretty much everyone tries to get as much as he can.  In 2010, almost half the people lived in households receiving federal government benefits of some kind.  As recently as 1988, the figure was only 38%.  At the same time, the percentage going to the poorest 20% has declined greatly during the same period.

The point isn’t to deny that we have serious problems, including budget deficits and policies that have greatly increased inequalities over the last 40 years. But aren’t you weary of people reaching out for benefits with one hand, and holding up a sign denouncing the government as a flat-out tyranny with the other?   Candor is a virtue in dealing with our public issues.

Bill Fine