Welfare Index
Welfare Index(with apologies to HarperÕs magazine)Amount of federal money spent on AFDC, food stamps and Medicaid annually: $85 billion Amount of federal money spent on corporate tax cuts, incentives and bail-outs according to the Center for the Study of Responsive Law: $167 billion Amount of federal money spent on the military: $282 billion Number of times "welfare reform" was mentioned in stories by major newspapers and wire services in 1996: 22,103 Number of times "corporate welfare" was mentioned: 2,351 Average number of children an AFDC family has: 1.9 percent Percentage of AFDC families with an "average" number of children: 77.7 percent Average annual welfare payment for a mother with two children: $6,000 Average amount an American earned in 1995: $27,845 Percentage of non-custodial fathers who live below the poverty line: 13-26 percent Estimated percentage of current domestic violence victims in welfare-to-work programs: 20 percent-60 percent Percentage that would qualify for "hardship" exemption of welfare bill: 20 percent Percentage of the population that received food stamps in 1995: 10.1 percent Average amount: $71.30Percentage of the population that received AFDC: 5.2 percent Average monthly amount (for a family of three): $422 Percentage of the population below the poverty line in 1995: 13.8 percent Percentage of women who receive AFDC who are under the age of 20: 6 Percentage of the national budget spent on welfare: 1 Percentage of the national budget spent on welfare if you factor in food stamps: 3 Percentage of Americans, according to a study conducted by the Center for the Study of Policy Attitudes, who think welfare funding should be cut: 21 Percentage of Americans who think the government should pay welfare recipients more: 29 percent. Percentage of sources used by the countryÕs most influential news outlets (such as TV news and the New York Times) in a three-month period that were males, according to a study conducted by Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR): 77 Percentage of sources who were government officials: 59 Percentage of those sources who were members of the U.S. Congress: 24 Percentage of those sources who were Republican: 72 Percentage who were Democrat: 28Percentage of women who worked full time in 1994 but didnÕt receive health benefits: 75 Percentage of federal outlays welfare spending comprised from 1964-1994: 1.5 percent State with the lowest current welfare allotment: Mississippi State with the highest: AlaskaChance a teenage mother who drops out of high school has of getting off welfare by working: 1 in 100 Chance a teenage mother who finishes high school has of getting off welfare: 1 in 5 Sources: Taylor Institute; Ralph NaderÕs Center for the Study of Responsive Law; 1995 Statistical Abstract; LA Weekly; Norman Solomon; government agencies; Journal of Family Issues; 1994 "Green Book;" Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting
