>> the vast majority of people who receive government benefits are white.
This part is true. Which makes sense, since the vast majority of the nation's residence are white.
>> In fact, whites receive a disproportionate amount of benefits.
This part is NOT true.
The article you cited is what was referred to as damned lies in the phrase, "There are statistics, lies, and damned lies." That is, lies hiding behind statistics. Everyone who gets benefits is supposedly poor. There are 40 million blacks out of 310 million in the country, which looks like about 13%.
Blacks receive a disproportionately large share of government benefits. But it is complicated and probably over your head. Looking, for example, at food stamps, 59% go to whites and 28% to blacks, which obviously (even to you) clearly indicates blacks receive a disproportionate share.
Overall, demographically, federal assistance is more likely to go to blacks than whites or Hispanics (64% vs. 56% vs. 50%).
One does have to be careful in looking at these data, because articles like the one you cited will mix and match benefits like SS & Medicare to try and skew the outcome. If it is understood we're talking about non-equitable entitlements, i.e., those for which the beneficiary has not contributed, then the outcomes are different.
Also, some benefits like EITC there really isn't any tracking by race. |
