Unemployment, food stamps, welfare, Section 8...where does all this money ultimately go? Who is it REALLY a handout to?
It's really a handout to businesses if you think about it.
Food stamps buy food. Sure, a poor person gets fed, however laughably, but that person only gets that end benefit. That food purchased with that government assistance keeps the gears of industry turning. It keeps farmers and ranchers farming and ranching, food processors processing, truck drivers driving and so on.
Unemployment keeps the bills paid to landlords and banks, utility companies, insurance companies and so forth. Without unemployment those companies would see a significant drop in customers, and a rise in defaults, every time someone lost a job.
Section 8 (which is rent assistance in California; it may be called something else where you live) keeps the rent paid to landlords. Sure, the poor person has a place to live, but would that apartment be rented at all without the government?
These programs are all funded with tax money, money that ultimately winds up in the hands of businesses and private individuals.
So who are these programs a "handout" to again?
And do we get anything in return for it? You bet! Take food stamps: the food is harvested and shipped (for the first time) to the processors, generating the tax revenue paid by the farmers and truck drivers. Then the processors package and ship the food, generating the tax revenue paid by the employees of the processor, and all the related industries such as packaging manufacturers. Then the food is shipped, again, to a warehouse, generating the tax revenue paid by the truck driver and the forklift driver that loaded the truck. The warehouse, in turn ships it a THIRD time to its various stores, generating another round of tax revenue from THOSE drivers. Then the grocery store sells the product, generating the tax revenue of the employees who unload the truck, stock the shelves, ring up the purchase and bag the groceries.
So who do these "handouts" benefit again? And how many businesses would be going under without our tax dollars helping the poor?