Does it pay more to be and stay on welfare as opposed to going out there and getting a job? Has our work ethic as Americans fallen down the drain over the years because of welfare states? The answer seems to be yes.
Research done a few years ago showed welfare paid more than a minimum wage job did in 33 states. Michael Tanner at the Cato Institute says while no new studies have been done, logic says the trend has only continued.
“Welfare benefits have continued to rise. Benefits like housing and food stamps have all increased the level of benefits they are paying.
Now in Texas, staying on welfare without working pays between 12 and 15 thousand dollars a year. That’s not nearly as bad as other states, but Tanner says at the end of the day, you're paying for all of this.
“We currently spend close to a trillion dollars a year fighting poverty. We have about a hundred federal poverty programs,” Tanner explained
Welfare pays more than $15 an hour in 13 states. The worst offender in all of this is Hawaii where welfare recipients get more than $29 an hour; or over $60K a year for literally doing nothing.