Good op-ed on how the U.S. is a welfare state

[DarkWaters]

Robert Samuelson is right on the money again with his latest op-ed. The subject is the extent how the United States has become a welfare state and why (politically) things will only get worse.

Some highlights:

A description of the national budget's composition:

Despite the war in Iraq, defense spending is only a fifth of the budget; so-called entitlement payments to individuals are almost 60 percent -- and rising. In fiscal 2006, the federal government spent almost $2.7 trillion. Social Security ($544 billion), Medicare ($374 billion) and Medicaid ($181 billion) dominated. There was $199 billion more for payments to the poor, including the earned-income tax credit and food stamps.

Then he correctly argues how wasteful programs of prodigious proportions eclipse any program that is also prodigal and/or unnecessary but of much smaller proportions:

Almost no one wants to slash these programs. They have huge constituencies; they're popular. Paradoxically, their invulnerability and size also protect much of the rest of the budget. ::: SNIP ::: My favorite example is Amtrak, which serves a tiny number of passengers, is concentrated in the Northeast and costs $1.3 billion annually. But politically, ending such programs is hardly worth the trouble. The bad publicity of antagonizing aggrieved advocates -- here, railroad buffs and maybe environmentalists -- is too high for the small savings. In a nearly $3 trillion budget, even 10 Amtraks are a footnote.

Finally, the summary:

We could consider all of federal spending and not just small bits of it. But most Americans don't want to admit that they are current or prospective welfare recipients. They prefer to think that they automatically deserve whatever they've been promised simply because the promises were made. Americans do not want to pose the basic questions, and their political leaders mirror that reluctance. This makes the welfare state immovable and the budget situation intractable.

Edited February 15, 2007 by DarkWaters