Recovery? Half of American Households Living on Government Benefits
[Townhall.com]
Kate Hicks – Web Editor, Townhall.com
May 26, 2012 12:43 PM EST
Some astoundingly grim news on the “economic recovery” front: half of American households are receiving government funds to support themselves. No matter which way you slice it, this number isn’t good news for the Obama administration — they can spin the jobs numbers by ignoring the number of people who dropped out of the workforce, but this statistic is pretty straightforward.
The 49.1% of the population in a household that gets benefits is up from 30% in the early 1980s and 44.4% as recently as the third quarter of 2008.
The increase in recent years is likely due in large part to the lingering effects of the recession. As of early 2011, 15% of people lived in a household that received food stamps, 26% had someone enrolled in Medicaid and 2% had a member receiving unemployment benefits. Families doubling up to save money or pool expenses also is likely leading to more multigenerational households. But even without the effects of the recession, there would be a larger reliance on government.
GOP Gains Traction Among Gay Voters By Focusing on Economy, Analyst Says
FoxNews.com
Published November 06, 2010
In this Tuesday, April 16, 2010 picture, from left, Petty Officer Autumn Sandeen, Lt. Dan Choi, Cpl. Evelyn Thomas, Capt. Jim Pietrangelo II, Cadet Mara Boyd and Petty Officer Larry Whitt, stand together after they handcuffed themselves to the fence outside the White House in Washington during a protest for gay rights. (AP)
The Republican Party drew more gay voters in Tuesday’s midterm elections than it has in 10 years, according to Fox News national exit polls.
The data shows that 31 percent of self-identified gays voted for the GOP, an uptick from 19 percent in 2008 and 24 percent in 2006 and 2004.
The 12-point uptick could be a reflection of the gay community’s disappointment in President Obama’s record on gay rights. While Obama says he supports ending the ban on gays openly serving in the military, his administration is challenging attempts by a federal judge to impose an end to the “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy.
Democrats have also failed to pass a law making it illegal for employers to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation and to repeal a 1996 law that defines marriage as between a man and a woman.
But one prominent gay conservative told FoxNews.com that the increase shows that issues among gay voters aren’t just social.
Economics is at the “forefront” of everyone’s mind, said Jimmy LaSalvia, executive director of GOProud, a conservative gay advocacy group.
He argued that Republicans repelled gay voters in past election cycles by running on divisive social issues.
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