Oliver Anthony
- Lucian@going2paris.net
- Aug 18, 2023
- 3 min read
Charlottesville
August 18, 2023
I gather this song is sweeping the nation -- 21 million views on YouTube in less than 10 days. Three million since yesterday. Mister Anthony lives in or is from Farmville.
It's an amazingly painful song. I am embarrassed to admit I hear the words and I think I know what he's saying but I also know I am missing something. Maybe it's because I have been privileged (lucky?) to live the economic life I have. And perhaps this is why Trump has his base. He may not have done much for them economically (you might disagree), his base reacts to his way of criticizing "the rich men north of Richmond" (inspire of the fact he is one of them).
I have empathy for his comments on taxes. Even though we are taxes too much we still find a way to live well beyond our means. Does that mean we are taxed too little??
Welfare is a topic that his so "rich" in assumptions. How do we sort out those who abuse the system versus those who truly need the benefit?
From blog.gitnux.com. Is it trustworthy?
The U.S. social safety net is a complex combination of programs that assist tens of millions of Americans annually, with 13.7% of the population receiving SNAP in 2015, 13.5% receiving SSI, 20.6% between the ages of 50 and 64 in 2019, 34.7% of households including someone receiving Social Security benefits in 2018, and 69.6% of households with someone receiving free or reduced-price school meals also including someone receiving Medicaid/CHIP in 2013.
These statistics demonstrate the complexity of the U.S. social safety net, and the prevalence of individuals and households that rely on these programs for assistance.
This is important in understanding the average welfare recipient, and the need for these programs to continue to provide support to those in need.
In 2022, the federal government is projected to spend $1.3 trillion on welfare programs in the United States, with $165 billion of that going towards nutrition assistance, including $115 billion on SNAP.
This demonstrates the large amount of money the federal government is allocating towards welfare programs, and how much of that is going towards nutrition assistance.
This helps to illustrate the impact of welfare programs on the lives of those who rely on them, and the importance of these programs in providing basic necessities to those in need.
The ten states with the highest number of SNAP recipients are California, Texas, Florida, New York, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Georgia, Ohio, North Carolina, and Michigan, while the states with the highest percentage of SNAP recipients are New Mexico, Louisiana, West Virginia, Alabama, and Mississippi.
This shows the variation in welfare recipient statistics across the United States, highlighting the need for different levels of government support in different states.
The lowest welfare rates by state are: Idaho, Virginia, Nebraska, Nevada, Texas, North Carolina, Florida, South Dakota, Utah, and Georgia.
States with lower welfare rates may be spending less on public welfare, which could mean that the average welfare recipient in those states may not be receiving the same level of support as those in states with higher welfare rates.
38.8% of welfare recipients are White, 39.8% are Black, 15.7% are Hispanic, 2.4% are Asian, and 3.3% are Other.
This demonstrates the disproportionate representation of certain racial groups in the welfare system.
More facts on welfare : https://fortunly.com/statistics/welfare-statistics/
Oliver Anthony, "Rich Men of Richmond" Lyrics:
I've been sellin' my soul, workin' all day / Overtime hours for bullshit pay / So I can sit out here and waste my life away / Drag back home and drown my troubles away.
Pre-Chorus:
It's a damn shame what the world's gotten to / For people like me and people like you / Wish I could just wake up and it not be true / But it is, oh, it is.
Chorus:
Livin' in the new world / With an old soul / These rich men north of Richmond / Lord knows they all just wanna have total control / Wanna know what you think, wanna know what you do / And they don't think you know, but I know that you do / 'Cause your dollar ain't shit and it's taxed to no end / 'Cause of rich men north of Richmond.
I wish politicians would look out for miners / And not just minors on an island somewhere / Lord, we got folks in the street, ain't got nothin' to eat / And the obese milkin' welfare.
Well, God, if you're 5-foot-3 and you're 300 pounds / Taxes ought not to pay for your bags of fudge rounds / Young men are puttin' themselves six feet in the ground / 'Cause all this damn country does is keep on kickin' them down.
Repeat Pre-Chorus
Repeat Chorus
I've been sellin' my soul, workin' all day / Overtime hours for bullshit
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