Looks like the safety net is working,

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The Geography of Government Benefits

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As I look at the pattern, it seems to me that government entitlements are going primarily to the places that are poorest.

Of course, Medicare is something that our old people have paid for through their contributions for years, and are entitled. Food stamps are based on our feeling that people -- especially mothers and dependent children -- should not go hungry in this affluent country that pays farmers not to grow food.