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=**Is America In Decline...**= ...due to overspending and more reliance on the government? Depends on who you ask! The country is divided today over this issue. Below is a chart on the Cycle of Democracy. Also, below, are two clips to challenge your thinking on the issue of self-reliance vs. government-reliance. Has the government gone beyond helping those in need into an area where more and more are relying on the government and less on themselves. Today, there are record numbers of Americans on food stamps, welfare, and disability. Certainly these programs are necessary as a safety net. But with a 20 trillion + debt and devaluing of the dollar due to overspending hurting the average American, does America need to take a look at its entitlement spending and see who is abusing the system vs. who is truly in need?

Is America in decline? Increase in government-reliance has led to a major increase in government spending. The 1889 Johnstown flood recovery is a historical example of how private charities and citizens helped the city recover through self-reliance. This clip discusses the values that built America, which is what we want to concentrate on. The values that America was built on have changed over the decades. Is America in decline as a result? You be the judge. (first current events line) media type="youtube" key="_lfJ9_RnUBA" width="560" height="315"

Second current events line: In this chapter, you learned about President Grover Cleveland vetoing fraudulant pension claims. Some historians criticize him without knowing the full story. Most see this as a good thing. No matter the time period, there are always individuals looking to "game" the system. Today, the government spends massive amounts of money...some goes to those with a true need, while some government spending is suspect. An issue today is disability. In the 1990s, there were a little over 3 million people on disability. Today, less than 30 years later, there are over 10 million people on disability. Is our nation that much more unsafe? Is the workplace that much more unsafe? The answer is no. Then what has changed? It is a whole lot easier today to get approved for disability than ever before. This does not mean that disability payouts are not good...obviously they are necessary...but, are there people on disability that perhaps can work? Absolutely, according to the numbers. Are the numbers proof that there is abuse in the system? Yes...unless there's an explanation for more than doubling the number of Americans on disability in less than 30 years. So far, no one has been able to answer. Is there a comparison to what Cleveland looked to stop?



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