Nearly half of the population in the United States receives federal social welfare

> Nearly half of the population in the United States receives federal social welfare. The latest data from the Federal Census Bureau shows that in the first quarter of 2011, nearly half of the population (49.1%) in the United States was "...

Nearly half of the population in the United States received federal social welfare. The latest data from the Federal Census Bureau shows that in the first quarter of 2011, nearly half of the U.S. population (49.1%) were in "welfare-receiving families": at least one person in the family relied on some kind of government welfare, and many families may also receive more than one kind of government welfare. The data shows that cutting government spending is no easy task, and that cuts are complicated by welfare spending. By comparison, only 30% of Americans lived in households receiving welfare in the 1980s; as recently as the third quarter of 2008, the rate was 44.4%. The analysis points out that much of the recent increase may be caused by the lingering effects of the recession. At the beginning of 2011, 15% of Americans lived in households receiving food stamp benefits; 26% lived in households with someone participating in the federal Medicaid program (Medicaid); and 2% lived in households with someone receiving unemployment benefits. The data also shows that 16% of Americans live in households where at least one member receives Social Security benefits; 15% live in households where at least one member participates in Medicare. Of course, this statistic is subject to double counting because Social Security benefits are often combined with Medicare. However, as the baby boomers age, the number of recipients of these benefits is bound to increase. As government spending increases, it becomes necessary to find financial resources to fund it. If taxes are not raised, that means the government deficit will increase. Polls show that nearly three-quarters of Americans blame the increase in the deficit on federal programs that spend too much money, but when asked which programs should be cut, most people don't know how to choose. At least 56% of respondents oppose major changes to Social Security or Medicare benefits. More people on welfare make it harder to cut government spending, and tax increases are always unpopular. Some people advocate a combination of tax increases and spending cuts, with the deficit reduction plan automatically taking effect starting in 2013. But there's a problem with this idea, the Congressional Budget Office says, it would tip the economy into recession.