12 Jan 10: The current administration’s projected budget contains much wasteful spending, including a staggering increase in welfare program spending in the form of cash, food, housing, medical care, and targeted social services for poor and low-income Americans. From 2009 to 2018, the U.S. government will spend $10.3 trillion on welfare programs. After adjusting for inflation, this administration will spend twice as much on welfare as did President Clinton. In just one year (2010 fiscal year), more will be spent on welfare than President Bush spent on the Iraq War during his entire presidency. Congress has been complicit with President Obama in making these expenditures.
These expenditures are examples of a government that is based on encouraging dependency and restricting freedom and initiative. Certainly there is a need for government to help those who are unable to help themselves, but the programs have gone well beyond what is needed for those individuals. Government programs should encourage individual responsibility and accountability.
As your U.S. Representative, I will work diligently to encourage individual freedom in the provisions of any federal welfare-type program that is allowed under the Constitution. We must celebrate and encourage individual freedom. Dependency on government largesse is detrimental to the individual, families and the nation.