From: John Cuccia 

On Thu, 9 Mar 2006 16:45:38 -0500, "Gary Britt"
 wrote:

>So you were dead during the Carter and Clinton administrations.  That would
>certainly explain most of your posts.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2006-03-13-federal-entitlements_x.htm
A sweeping expansion of social programs since 2000 has sparked a record
increase in the number of Americans receiving federal government benefits
such as college aid, food stamps and health care.

A USA TODAY analysis of 25 major government programs found that enrollment
increased an average of 17% in the programs from 2000 to 2005. The nation's
population grew 5% during that time.

It was the largest five-year expansion of the federal safety net since the
Great Society created programs such as Medicare and Medicaid in the 1960s.

Spending on these social programs was $1.3 trillion in 2005, up an
inflation-adjusted 22% since 2000 and accounting for more than half of
federal spending. Enrollment growth was responsible for three-fourths of
the spending increase, according to USA TODAY's analysis of federal
enrollment and spending data. Higher benefits accounted for the rest.

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