Acknowledging that the question is overly simplified, is there a way to say how much money is spent on the poor in America, and how much is spent on the rich? I anticipate responses that relate to tax breaks, loopholes, advantages, etc. that accrue to those who have. In response to my rant that the rich have the power and they have all the resources, etc., a colleague said that most of the money in this country is spent on the poor and those at the bottom. While I fumed, I decided to try to marshall my thoughts with your help. so, help?
This [url="http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=31435"thread doesn’t directly answer your question but much of it is along the same lines.
This thread doesn’t directly answer your question but much of it is along the same lines.
Do you mean actual outlays of cash? Provision of services (education, etc.)? Government employment? Do you mean the magnitude of taxes not collected? More money is spent on the military than “welfare” but the former can be said to benefit everyone, and does not entail direct cash payments to people. Direct payment in kind of things like housing may be higher to poorer folks, but that may pale in comparison to tax breaks for mortgages to higher-income folks.
The terms need to be defined carefully before a comparison can be made, but I’m not sure a claim such as your colleague’s could stand up unless you mean direct cash payments only. In that cash, “welfare”, Social Security and disabllity (SSI) cash payments may go to poorer people at a higher rate, but there are plenty of middle and upper class seniors collecting Social Security. And is Social Security government spending, or a payout of investments made over a lifetime of work? 