Social welfare in this case does NOT include Medicare, Social Security, or Medicaid.

then the comparison is worthless.

Let's look at the real numbers

Horrifying though those numbers are, this is a head scratcher:

"About $59 billion is spent on traditional social welfare programs. $92 billion is spent on corporate subsidies. So, the government spent 50% more on corporate welfare than it did on food stamps and housing assistance in 2006."

Why is the government spending ANYTHING on corporate subsidies?

Because campaign contributions and lobbying have a very high ROI

Ah. Now that sounds like a part of the system that needs more friction in it.

Public financing of all campaigns seems expensive but would pay for itself many times over

public financing of campaigns would also further cement Republicrat power.

Even if anyone could run as a populist seeking that public financing?

Excluding the $3.7TRILLION spent on social welfare at all levels of government is intellectually dishonest.

I think the author was mocking the smaller point -- that conservatives shouldn't whine about social welfare because they have pork and corporate welfare too -- rather than the larger point that EVERYONE in the system wants to perpetuate the system to some extent.

I disagree... I've seen this before, with radical lefties claiming 'we' spend so little on social welfare programs compared to the evil du jour. I've even had a crowd of college commies throw pennies and nickels at me (on cue!), during a debate on the subject.. Fortunately, I don't scar easily....

You neither scare nor scar easily.

No one that gets elected wants to mess with entitlements. Even Paul Ryan wants to keep the system mostly intact.