San Diego, California Talk Radio Station - 760 KFMB AM - 760kfmbThe government is one giant wealth-transfer machine

Our second Fact of the Day comes from the always brilliant Mark Perry.

Throughout this entire debt ceiling debate, no one EVER talked about Social Security or Medicare. SS and Medicare are the two biggest sources of our debt. How could we not talk about reforming these programs?

According to the Office of Management and Budget (Table 6.1), two-thirds (66.12%) of total federal spending last year was "payments to individuals". these payments include SS, Medicare, welfare, unemployment, food stamps, student aid and public housing.

Of that 66% of payments to individuals, almost 80% was SS and Medicare.

I got this E-mail last weekend:

"All this focus on Social Security and Medicare as if they were the only two entitlement programs that must go or be rearranged. What the heck about Food Stamps? I've personally witnessed numerous people abusing the system."

Food stamps are 4.2% of federal payments to individuals. Social Security is 38.3%.

From Laurie:

"Myself as well as other seniors are tired of being referred to as getting entitlements from social security!  We paid into this and we seniors are lumped in with lazy people receiving welfare, I find it shameful."

Welfare is 8% of federal payments to individuals. Social Security is 38.3%

Currently, the biggest single job of the federal government is not national defense, homeland security, transportation, education or foreign aid. It's cutting checks to people.

At 7:00 today we talked about some of the progressive code words that have even infiltrated the conservative lexicon ("I paid into it" and "retire in dignity").

http://media.worldnow.com/kfmbam/podcast/the_mike_slater_show_4977.mp3

All I want is to begin for us to approach this third rail, and recognize that Social security is unsustainable. It's taken us 76 years to get to this point. After we realize that it is one of the biggest sources of debt in America, we should think about getting this country back off of Social Security in the next 76 years.

Even many conservatives are in favor of keeping Social Security. Why? As John Merline wrote:

"The federal government has over the years essentially turned into a gigantic wealth-transfer machine -- taking money from a shrinking pool of taxpayers and giving it out to a growing list of favored groups. This situation will make getting the federal budget under control increasingly difficult, since it will invariably involve pitting those writing checks against those cashing them."