Welfare

[Troubleshooter]

Originally posted by JeepNGeorge
Farm Subsidy recipient list for my zipcode. Of the top 20 I see two local businessmen, three large scale ranchers and three lawyers. I know we must protect our agriculture industry, but some of the people getting subsidies are not the ones that need it.

Here's another good example of that.

See the whole thing at:

http://www.reason.com/0403/fe.js.confessions.shtml

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Confessions of a Welfare Queen

How rich bastards like me rip off taxpayers for millions of dollars

John Stossel

Law grinds the poor, and rich men rule the law.

-- Oliver Goldsmith

Ronald Reagan memorably complained about "welfare queens," but he never told us that the biggest welfare queens are the already wealthy. Their lobbyists fawn over politicians, giving them little bits of money -- campaign contributions, plane trips, dinners, golf outings -- in exchange for huge chunks of taxpayers’ money. Millionaires who own your favorite sports teams get subsidies, as do millionaire farmers, corporations, and well-connected plutocrats of every variety. Even successful, wealthy TV journalists.

That’s right, I got some of your money too.

My Life as a Welfare Queen

In 1980 I built a wonderful beach house. Four bedrooms -- every room with a view of the Atlantic Ocean.

It was an absurd place to build, right on the edge of the ocean. All that stood between my house and ruin was a hundred feet of sand. My father told me: "Don’t do it; it’s too risky. No one should build so close to an ocean."

But I built anyway.

Why? As my eager-for-the-business architect said, "Why not? If the ocean destroys your house, the government will pay for a new one."