A jobless protestor was seen holding a sign during a demonstration against unemployment benefit cuts on July 11, 2012 in Oakland, California, demanding jobs or income as, by now, more than half of Americans depends on government subsidies.
Government dependency in United States of America is on the rise as more than half of the US population i.e. 165 million of 308 million Americans is now dependent on the state in some form, according to research by Ranking Member of the Senate Budget Committee Jeff Sessions.
The self-reliability in Americans have been deteriorating as eligibility for earned income tax credit, medicaid, work pay tax credit, food stamps and unemployment benefits have expanded since 2009 to allow more US citizens to enjoy them. This year’s annual Index on Dependence on Government, released in February, reported that since 2008, the American people’s addiction on government has grown by 23 percent.
“Under Obama’s plan, you wouldn’t have to work and wouldn’t have to train for a job – they’d just send you a welfare check,” expressed a recent anti-Obama television advertisement.
Beyond half of the total population depends hugely on the State out of these, 107 million Americans rely on government welfare, 46 million seniors collect Medicare while there are 22 million government employees.