NP and fusion again ( was Re: converts to the left)

[Enrique Diaz-Alvarez]

Max Sawicky wrote:
> 
> >On Thu, 24 Sep 1998, Max Sawicky wrote:
> >> A new GAO report says states have reduced their AFDC/TANF spending by 15
> to 20 percent.  Note that this applies to their share of the total, which is
> roughly half.
> 
> DR's reply:
> >Indeed. So Federal outlays on the poorest of the poor went up slightly, and
> state outlays went down a lot -- while
> Clinton cut capital gains taxes on the monied classes from 28% to 20% or so.
> I call this barbarism; what do you call it?
> . . . >
> 
> I call it bad arithmetic.  Total outlays
> on the poor went up.
> 
> Nor did I say that state outlays went
> down.  I said spending on AFDC/TANF at
> the state end went down.  States spend
> other money on the poor, as do the Feds.
> AFDC/TANF was and is a small part of the
> whole.
> 

Yes. But if I understand correctly, higher Medicaid outlays account for
the increase, and them some. Without it, spending on the poor would have
decreased. It would be very hard to argue that higher Medicaid spending
resulted on more or better health care for the poor. It simply reflects
the increasing inefficiency and waste in the US health care system. I
think that, in a sense, Dennis is correct in saying that public support
for the poor decreased.


> 
> MBS

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