N.Y. Times poll finds majority of Americans say taxes will exceed benefits

Two stories examine Americans' views of government benefits and safety net programs.

The New York Times: Most Expect To Give More Than They Receive, Poll Finds
A majority of Americans say they expect to pay more in federal taxes over their lifetime than they will ever receive in benefits from the government, according to a recent New York Times poll. At the same time, the taxes Americans pay today are not keeping pace with the growing costs of government. Medicare is the program projected to add the most to federal spending over the next decade, likely increasing the government's annual budget deficits. But only one in five Americans surveyed named Medicare as the fastest-growing benefits program (Kopicki, 2/11).

The New York Times: Even Critics Of Safety Net Increasingly Depend On It
There is little poverty here in Chisago County, northeast of Minneapolis, where cheap housing for commuters is gradually replacing farmland. ... Dozens of benefits programs provided an average of $6,583 for each man, woman and child in the county in 2009, a 69 percent increase from 2000 after adjusting for inflation. ... Older people get most of the benefits, primarily through Social Security and Medicare, but aid for the rest of the population has increased about as quickly through programs for the disabled, the unemployed, veterans and children (Applebaum and Gebeloff, 2/11).