Rick Santorum's Republican Convention speech last night was another lie. He claimed that nearly half the population of America was receiving "government assistance," implying 50% were on welfare, on the dole, lying in bed all day doing nothing. Just the line that Mitt Romney and PaulRyan are using against the president in racist ads and blatant lies at the Convention that Obama has "stopped the work requirement" for welfare. Shown to be false by multiple fact checkers, they persist in the lie.
Santorum's 50% includes all types of government assistance including the social security program which is an earned benefit. It includes veteran's education benefits.
CNN concluded, "The verdict: Misleading." Santorum's 50% includes "most seniors who receive Medicare and Social Security benefits..."
Santorum's 50% includes "most seniors who receive Medicare and Social Security benefits..."
Project of the Annenberg Public Policy Center, Santorum’s Distorted ‘Dependency’ Claims, August 29, 2012
Rick Santorum blames President Barack Obama for “a nightmare of dependency with almost half of America receiving some sort of government assistance.” But the same could have been said of George W. Bush.
So, in Bush years, 3rd Q of 2008:
.... the Census reported that 44.4 percent of Americans received some sort of government benefits.
factcheck.org
Under Obama (in 2011) the most recent figure is 49 percent. The 5% increase is "due to the aging Baby Boom generation reaching retirement age."
Also, CNN did a check of this today. CNN Fact Check: Santorum's claim and found that there is a wide range of benefits, more than anti-poverty assistance, including:
....includes Social Security and Medicare, the federal pension and health care programs for seniors -- programs that are funded by workers' payroll taxes and aren't typically associated with concerns about dependency. It also includes other benefits, such as worker's compensation or educational assistance for veterans.
Furthermore, the number receiving the "means-tested" benefits" with income below a certain level is much lower, 35.1%.
They, too, report that under Bush, in 9/2008, 24% were on those programs, due to increased families and individuals needing food assistance due to poverty and the post economic collapse economy.
Santorum's dad and Christie's dad. What did they have in common? Just like Chris Christie, another liar, who last night railed against government benefits:
The irony wasn’t lost on liberals. Paul Begala, the Democratic strategist and consultant, jumped all over the remarks on his Twitter feed on Tuesday night: “Christie: Dad went to Rutgers on the GI Bill. Dems built that.” (Incidentally, the Christie patriarch is not the only GOP beneficiary. Also Santorum, the former senator’s immigrant father, is said to have called the GI Bill “the greatest gift he received” in an obituary on this conservative Web site. It allowed him to get a doctorate in clinical psychology, which led to a career working for Veterans Affairs.)
Chronicle of Higher Education
CNN concluded, "The verdict: Misleading."
Santorum's 50% includes "most seniors who receive Medicare and Social Security benefits..."