N.J. Gov. Chris Christie: U.S. Becoming Entitlement Society
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said yesterday, “The American people no longer believe that this is a place where only their willingness to work hard, and to act with honor, and integrity, and ingenuity determines their success in life. Then we’ll have a bunch of people sitting on a couch waiting for their next government check.”
Tucker Carlson and Juan Williams joined America’s Newsroom to debate the comments.
Carlson thinks the Christie is "onto something.” He outlined the increase in disability payments which have dramatically skyrocketed over the last 10 years even though the American workplace has not gotten more dangerous. Carlson said, “Forty-three percent of all Social Security disability payments go to people claiming mental illness. You know the percentage of workers getting disability who go back into the work force? Less than one percent.”
Williams defined the issue, saying, “The fact is that the critical issue in terms of money in this country is the increasing class divide. We’ve seen after tax income for the very rich grow rapidly. It’s not as if the poor are all sliding by. We see more people in poverty today, and so many of these social safety net programs are either keeping people out of poverty or reducing the impact of poverty.”
Carlson argued that the problem isn’t with the poor, but with middle class Americans receiving government checks. “We’re in grave debt because the middle class is addicted to entitlements, that’s where the money goes,” Carlson said. “When you see large numbers of middle class folks getting government checks, that’s when things start to break down, and that’s what you’re seeing.”
Williams agreed with Carlson and pointed out that this isn’t about demonizing the poor, it’s about the popular programs that go to middle class families that government officials support to get the vote.
Get the full debate:
