The Washington of conventional wisdom and the real Washington are two entirely different places. The Washington of conventional wisdom is overrun by well-paid insiders \u201d\u201d lobbyists, lawyers, publicists \u201d\u201d who systematically manipulate government policies to benefit corporations and the rich, defying the \u201cwill of the people.\u201d\u009d The real Washington has government paid for by the rich and well-to-do. Benefits go mainly to the poor and middle class, while politicians of both parties live in fear that they might offend the \u201cwill of the people\u201d\u009d \u201d\u201d voters.<\/p>\n
Recently, Ron Haskins of the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank, testified before the House Budget Committee on the growth of the 10-largest \u201cmeans tested\u201d\u009d federal programs that serve people who qualify by various definitions of poverty. Here\u2019s what Haskins reported: From 1980 to 2011, annual spending on these programs grew from $126 billion to $626 billion (all figures in inflation-adjusted \u201c2011 dollars\u201d\u009d); dividing this by the number of people below the government poverty line, spending went from $4,300 per poor person in 1980 to $13,000 in 2011. In 1962, spending per person in poverty was $516.<\/p>\n