The Heritage Foundation has just released its most current report on the Dependency Index for the country. Their findings are a harsh portrayal of the direction our country is headed; here are a few of the conclusions from their report:
- 49.5% of working Americans paid ZERO federal income tax
- More than 70% of the federal budget goes to dependence programs
- The Dependency Index has increased by 23% just since President Obama was elected
The full report is long, but is well worth reading and sharing with your friends. A quick glance at the numerous graphs helps to put the numbers into perspective and give you a complete view of this dangerous trend. Yes, some of the growth in dependency can be attributed to the recession, but it is only a small percentage of the growth as described in the report.
Let’s put this in its simplest terms; a growing percentage of Americans are dependent upon a shrinking percentage to pay the bills. This trend is unsustainable and will result in the fundamental transformation that we were promised in the 2008 election cycle; I guarantee you that the transformation will not be positive for our country’s future.
While the Left claims that the rich are not paying their fair share, I would make the claim that too many Americans are taking more than their fair share. When protesters scream about the evils of corporate greed, I would counter that the greed may be worse on the dependent side of the scale. And when I am accused of being less than compassionate for these statements, I would counter by saying that encouraging dependency and destroying the spirit of millions is the least compassionate action that a leader can take.
Take a good look at this report and project where this trend will take us; we can easily become another Greece within one generation if we lack the courage to address this problem now. Who will have the courage though to tell the dependent half of the country that it cannot have any more, when it is so much easier to tell them that there are still rich that can be taxed, and they are not paying their share?
How many think the problem will be easier to solve when only 45% pay federal taxes, then 40%, then 30%, then……..
