Claims that Mississippi is just a federal welfare case are simply liberal propaganda

    I'm sick of hearing the old saw that Mississippi receives three dollars in federal "aid" for every one dollar we pay in taxes.
    Okay, sure, our state has lots of poor people. As a result our state may receive a few dollars extra in federal aid. It should be pointed out that much of this aid does great harm, by encouraging illegitimate births and discouraging work. The federal school lunch program now forces schools to serve bad-tasting food that children won't eat.
    But those who make the outlandish claim that Mississippi receives more than its fair share of federal money invariably treat Social Security benefits, military pensions, and military spending as some type of giant welfare program when tallying their figures.
    Citizens are entitled to their Social Security benefits regardless of where they live. Many people from Mississippi work in other states and then return to our state to retire. As a result Mississippi receives more in Social Security payments than most states. But this isn't welfare. It isn't aid to our state. It is money these people are entitled to, regardless of which state they live in.
    The same is true for military pensions. The most recent chart I could quickly find is from 2005, but it shows that Mississippi has a well-above-average percentage of military pensioners. For example, in 2005 Mississippi had 25,623 military pensioners out of a population of just under three million. Ultra-wealthy Massachusetts had only 19,365 military pensioners out of a population of 6.5 million. Pennsylvania had 46,556 out of a population of almost 13 million. On a per capita basis, Mississippi has two to three times the number of military pensioners than does the average state. So yes, as a result Mississippi gets a substantially disproportionate share of federal pension and Social Security benefits.
    The disproportionate number of military pensions paid to Mississippi residents is evidence of the fact that we in Mississippi are more patriotic than the average American. We are, basically, better people. As a state we owe no thanks to the nation for the payment of military pensions to which our citizens are entitled. The very suggestion that these pensions are some sort of welfare is an insult to both the state of Mississippi and to Mississippians who have served our nation with honor. Military pensions are not welfare. They are not a gift. It is money to which our citizens are entitled, regardless of where they live.
    Finally, Ingalls Shipyard in Pascagoula builds quite a number of navel vessels for the military. My guess is that it's cheaper to build a naval ship in Mississippi just as it's cheaper to build a car in Mississippi. We, as a state, owe no "thank you" to the nation for selling the military naval vessels at a fair price. The nation should thank us for supplying affordable ships. Those who supply the military are not the recipients of charity.
    Liberals who promote the idea that Mississippi receives a disproportionate share of federal money do so purely to harm our state. It is, to a large extent, a false claim.
    I'm tired of our veterans, our retired people, and our shipyard workers being treated as poor, welfare cases sucking on the national sugar tit. They aren't. These people have earned what is theirs. As a state, we shouldn't be punished for being better people than residents of other states.
    This liberal, Yankee nonsense needs to stop, and needs to stop now. Just quit!