Stealing from Each Other: How the Welfare State Robs Americans of Money and Spirit (Hardcover)

by Edgar K. Browning (Author)
Key Phrases: dollar welfare system, nutritive adequacy, government welfare spending, Social Security, Each Other, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review
“A collection of unique, but financially sound ideas for America, Stealing From Each Other is a must for community library economics and social issues collections.”–Midwest Book Review/Internet Bookwatch

“The rise of equalitarian ideology has driven Americans to steal from one another. Browning explains that certain kinds of equality have been a cherished value in America. Equality under the law and, within reason, equality of opportunity is consistent with a free society. Equality of results is an anathema to a free society and within it lie the seeds of tyranny.”–Townhall.com

“Stealing from Each Other is an original and devastating critique of government spending and the modern welfare state. It is an important supplement to the Friedmans' classic: Free to Choose. Because ideas have consequences, Browning has written one of those rare books that could actually change the public policy debate. If you love your freedom and your country, you ought to read this book.”–Former Senator Phil Gramm

“'Just the facts, ma'am,' and 'Read 'em and weep'--these familiar admonitions summarize Edgar Browning's take on the lamentable modern "transfer" state. But can facts trump the metaphorical absurdity of politics these days? Let's hope the analysis presented here opens a few minds, or at least tempers prejudgment, on some of today's hot-button issues.”–James M. Buchanan, Nobel Laureate in Economics, 1986

“Stealing From Each Other is a highly readable and informative documentation of how Americans have become accustomed to using government to live at the expense of their fellow Americans. It's not just a moral issue but has devastating consequences for future generations who will not inherit a nation with the economic robustness and mobility of prior generations.”–Walter E. Williams, John M. Olin Distinguished, Professor of Economics, George Mason University

Book Description

An expert in economics and taxation argues that welfare-state policies have made all of us poorer, something that has been—until the publication of this book—invisible and unrecognized by the public.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Praeger (June 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0313348227
• ISBN-13: 978-0313348228
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #476,970 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Finally the truth is told, July 8, 2008

By	D. Elswick "TALKERS" (Little Rock, Arkansas) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Professor Browning has done everyone a favor by taking his 20 years of teaching economics to Texas A&M students and translating his course work into an easily digestable book. Be forewarned if you have high blood pressure the information presented may cause you to blow a gasket. Professor Browning uses facts not emotional arguments to show, that the welfare system, which is nothing more then taking from the haves and giving to those who politicans believe are the have nots in the United States, can't be justified, and costs America more then it delivers. A GREAT read. I highly recommend this book. Once you're done pass it on so that another person can have their eyes opened to the reality of redistribution of wealth and how it's causing us to lose our freedom.

25 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very valuable, well-written book, July 25, 2008

By	John R. Lott Jr. - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book covers an array of important issues from taxes to social security to poverty programs. From part of a piece that I had at Fox News this week where I discuss just a small portion of his book:

A new book, "Stealing from Each Other, How the Welfare State Robs Americans of Money and Spirit" by Edgar Browning, an economics professor at Texas A&M University and a world-renowned expert on government finance, has added up the costs and consequences of the existing programs.

By 2005, the Ways and Means Committee in the House of Representatives pointed out 85 separate programs that primarily aided persons with limited incomes. Total federal, state, and local expenditures amounted to $620 billion. That came to $16,750 per person in poverty, or over $50,000 for a welfare family of three, several times higher than the official poverty line for a family of three, which was $15,577 in 2005.

Browning estimates that only 10 percent of these expenditures went to administrative costs. He provides some perspective: "We are already spending more than enough to completely eliminate poverty, even if the poor have zero earnings or other sources of income on their own." The official government estimates of the number of poor people rarely count the government aid when calculating the poor's income. Browning also notes that there are so many programs and some are so complicated, "no one understands fully how the welfare system operates."

Yet even these numbers underestimate how much help the government spends on the poor. For example, Social Security does not provide benefits that are proportional to what people pay into the system. The system provides large transfers from high-income to low-income individuals. Browning estimates the welfare portion of Social Security accounts for $100 billion a year. According to him, adding this to Medicare, other uncompensated medical care, and other costs increases welfare payments to over $1 trillion in 2005.

By comparison, Browning has noted elsewhere that the first five years of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars cost $473 billion, less than half what the war on poverty spent in one year.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book, July 24, 2008

By	P. Hickey (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The dust jacket description of this book concludes by stating: "Intended for a general audience, Stealing from Each Other covers everything informed citizens need to know about inequality, poverty, welfare, Social Security, taxation, and the true costs of government redistributive policies." Although I don't know whether it covers "everything", it is certainly an eye-opening treatment of these issues that will change the way you think about how government policies affect our economy and our standard of living. This book makes clear that the news media conveys a lot of misleading information on these topics.

For example, did you know that the government now transfers more than a trillion dollars a year to low income families through dozens of welfare and social insurance policies? And that despite this expenditure the poverty rate is virtually unchanged over the last forty years? How could all this be spent to so little effect? Read Chapter 6 to find out.

But perhaps the most interesting chapter is the one on Social Security. I think I finally understand why so many people think it is the most pressing problem we confront.

This book is a must read during an election season when the "economy" is the big issue.