fyi federal budget
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_...federal_budget
note: 19% defense, 20% social security, 23% medicare/medicaid
The state and local governments also have significant budget dollars going to social welfare programs (e.g., unemployment insurance). Also, all the various charitable organizations (e.g., churches)
Really, being poor in usa is probably quite different than your expectations. Many "poor" in usa have good roof over there heads, food source, modern day appliances...etc. For the homeless, there are shelters and the cities usually accommodate their needs in some fashion. No one is starving to death here. There's actually a whole industry of professional panhandlers that pull scam and make a lot of money by playing the homeless sympathy card. They dress up in crappy clothes with a sign and stand by the freeway everyday and get tax-free monies that they don't report to the IRS. Some make thousands of dollars!
Now ask yourself, that 20% going to defense spending. Do you really think it is just going to defend the USA? Who is getting a free ride on that?