Kids are an investment in the future and will build a better future economy. Providing for the elderly is all nice and good, but it does not provide any future benefit.

Moreover health expenses are growing faster than GDP which ensures the gap will grow larger as the elderly are entitled to the promises made by this nation while children aren't entitled to much of anything.

I certainly believe in taking care of the elderly, but I agree that we spend too much on them and too little on children. When Social Security and Medicare were created, the poorest people in the country were the elderly. Now (probably because of the success of SS and Medicare), the poorest people in the country are children, but our policies don't reflect that.

That's why I am torn about the means-testing thing. I understand the arguments against it but at the same time I have a hard time justifying why we spend money providing Social Security and Medicare for those who don't really need the help while spending so little on poor children who do.

unemployment, social service cutbacks, high hidden taxation of the poor, and high social tolerance for poverty generally.

Cutting SS & MC completely won't provide a dime more for children. And there are plenty of seniors on SS supporting children and grandchildren.

Even you will one day.

It certainly does provide benefits.. children and grandchildren don't have to pay for their elders... the cost is spread out.. borne by the community as a whole.. it takes a village and all that liberal stuff...
Although I know you aren't really that liberal.

On all observations.

Sad but true.

"Children's 10 percent share in 2011 compares to the 41 percent spent on the elderly and disabled via Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid; 20 percent on defense; 6 percent on interest payments on the debt; and 23 percent on everything else."


http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/07/19/157042695/report-federal-spending-on-kids-declines-for-first-time-in-30-years

20% of the population, and more than half of them are being supported perfectly adequately by their families.

and that 41% on elderly AND DISABLED includes SSI spending, Social Security disability spending, and Social Security dependents' benefits, all of which include spending on young people & middle aged people.

Third, federal spending on almost *everything* is down, and so is state spending, because, uh, in case you hadn't noticed, everything is being cut.

It's just rigged stats to ramp up the war against SS/MC, not surprising it's NPR, our rich peoples' foundation-funded "public" television.