Who Is Pulling The Wagon, Who Is In The Wagon, And Why Does It Matter?

Today's Washington Examiner posted an editorial voicing their concerns about the number of people who are receiving some or all of their income from the federal government.  The article pointed out:

"According to the Federal Bureau of Economic Analysis, the share of total personal income in the United States that comes from government transfer programs -- Social Security, Medicare, veterans' benefits, unemployment compensation, etc. -- has grown rapidly over the past six decades, from 5.9 cents of every dollar in 1950 ... to 17.3 cents in 2009. In addition, according to BEA, another 9.8 cents of every dollar went, in 2009, to salaries for state, local and federal government employees, a figure that does not include costs of fringe benefits. In other words, more than a quarter of all personal income in the United States is paid for with tax dollars."

This is an alarming fact.  I would also like to know the role that welfare spending plays in this equation.  What actions is the government taking to help people off the welfare rolls and help them access employment that will provide for their families?  What attitudes in our society allow people to remain on welfare for generations without seeking jobs?

Admittedly, state, local, and federal pensions have gotten out of hand in some cases.  However, in most cases (as in Social Security and Medicare) the majority of the people who are collecting or will be collecting or accessing those benefits shortly have paid into the programs during their entire working lives.  The coming demise of Social Security has more to do with Congress mismanaging the surpluses during the past fifty years than it does government dependency by the recipients. 

We are at a place where there are too many people in the wagon and too few people pulling the wagon.  Until we change the attitude of Congress toward spending, we will continue to head in the wrong direction.  The 2010 elections give us the opportunity to see if the Republican Party is capable of living up to its promises of cutting spending and ultimately lowering taxes.