A few years ago, I read an article by Walter Williams that stated that if all the money spent on welfare was added up and then divided by the number of people on welfare, a family of four would receive around $40,000 per year. At that time, $40,000 was a very respectable income.

Of course, much of this money is lost in the bowels of the Government’s immense bureaucracy and never reaches the poor.

Why would someone on welfare want to get off welfare if a non-welfare income is less than what they are getting free and clear with no taxes and little or no work? There’s a report of a millionaire couple who have been collecting welfare for seven years. Nobody knows and only a few people care how much fraud is behind the programs.

Why would a welfare recipient want to vote for a political party that promises to cut back on welfare payments?

Moreover, why would a political party like the Democrats want to cut welfare spending when they know that it pays off politically for them by keeping them in power?

It’s a lot worse today than when Walter Williams wrote on this subject.

The Cato Institute released an updated 2013 study (original study in 1955) showing that welfare benefits pay more than a minimum wage job in 33 states and the District of Columbia. Even worse, welfare pays more than $15 per hour in 13 states.

According to the study, welfare benefits have increased faster than minimum wage

It’s now more profitable to sit at home than it is to earn an honest day’s pay.

Hawaii is the biggest offender, where welfare recipients earn $29.13 per hour, or a $60,590 yearly salary, all for doing nothing.

Here is the list of the states where the pre-tax equivalent “salary” that welfare recipients receive is higher than having a job:

1. Hawaii: $60,590
2. District of Columbia: $50,820
3. Massachusetts: $50,540
4. Connecticut: $44,370
5. New York: $43,700
6. New Jersey: $43,450
7. Rhode Island: $43,330
8. Vermont: $42,350
9. New Hampshire: $39,750
10. Maryland: $38,160
11. California: $37,160
12. Oregon: $34,300
13. Wyoming: $32,620
14. Nevada: $29,820
15. Minnesota: $29,350
16. Delaware: $29,220
17. Washington: $28,840
18. North Dakota: $28,830
19. Pennsylvania: $28,670
20. New Mexico: $27,900
21. Montana: $26,930
22. South Dakota: $26,610
23. Kansas: $26,490
24. Michigan: $26,430
25. Alaska: $26,400
26. Ohio: $26,200
27. North Carolina: $25,760
28. West Virginia: $24,900
29. Alabama: $23,310
30. Indiana: $22,900
31. Missouri: $22,800
32. Oklahoma: $22,480
33. Louisiana: $22,250
34. South Carolina: $21,910

As a point of reference the average Middle Class annual income today is $50,000, down from $54,000 at the beginning of the Great Recession. Hawaii, DC, and Massachusetts pay more in welfare than the average working folks earn there. Is it any wonder that they stay home rather than look for a job. Time for a drastic change. America is virtually bankrupt.