Cutting Gov. Programs Increases Poverty

The Republicans have cut most programs that help hurting Americans to the bone -- and they want to cut them even more. They either don't care how many Americans must live in poverty, or they don't understand that they are increasing the poverty level with their cuts. They even want to cut Social Security.

The charts above use the U.S. Census supplemental poverty level figures. Supplemental poverty considers the effect of various government programs on the poverty level. In the above chart, we can see that the current supplemental poverty level, with government help figured in, is at 16.1%. That means that 16.1% of our total population still lives under the poverty level set by the government -- even when we consider the help they get from the government.

That's far too large a number for a nation as wealthy as the United States. But it could be even worse if the Republicans get their way. Note that without the SNAP program (food stamps), the poverty level would rise to 17.6%. And without Social Security, the poverty level would rise to 24.4%. While these programs are eliminating all poverty, they are working to keep millions of Americans above the poverty level.

And they aren't the only programs keeping Americans out of poverty. Without unemployment insurance, housing assistance, SSI income, refundable tax credits, school lunch programs, WIC program, low-income energy assistance, and other programs, more Americans would slip into poverty. Each of these programs works to keep people above the poverty line.

That means every time the Republicans cut any of these programs, they are condemning more Americans to live below the poverty level. Do they care? If so, they certainly don't act like it. They even want to cut Social Security -- the government program that works to keep more people (elderly Americans) out of poverty than any other government program. Before Social Security, about half of the elderly in the U.S. lived in poverty. That has dropped dramatically, to slightly above 10% -- because Social Security works.

Frankly, I am appalled that the party that claims to represent christians could be so unchristian in their actions toward hurting Americans. How can cutting assistance for the poor, and actually increasing the number of poor people, be considered to be christian?