Chart of the Day: The Moocher Index

Via International Liberty (H/T: Ace of Spades).  The chart below shows income redistribution to non-poor people. The researchers subtracted the poverty rate to compare states on income redistribution.

 

A few quick observations. Why is Vermont (by far) the state with the largest proportion of non-poor people signed up for welfare programs? I have no idea, but maybe this explains why they elect people like Bernie Sanders. But it’s not just Vermont. Four of the top five states on the Moocher Index are from the Northeast, as are six of the top nine. Mississippi also scores poorly, coming in second, but many other southern states do well. Indeed, if we reversed the ranking and did a Self-Reliance Index, Virginia, Florida, and Georgia would score in the top 10. Nevada, arguably the nation’s most libertarian state, is the state with the lowest number of non-poor people signed up for welfare.

This chart helps in clarifying the distinction between altruistic redistribution (a help up) and egalitarian distribution (a hand-out) that I blogged about recently.