You just changed what I said buddy, I said food stamps are a pittance of our budget, not all entitlements are a pittance. At any rate, how expensive these programs are is as a result of terrible policies that allow them to be. Our healthcare costs are not high simply "because we have more people" as some love to point out, but is actually high as a proportion. That's because the government bends over backward to allow corporations the monopolies they want.
The fact that we don't have the federal government negotiate pharma prices with foreign pharmaceutical companies is a significant factor driving up the costs. Pfizer moves shop to Ireland and dodges taxes which gives them an unfair tax advantage over US companies which destroys competitiveness.
Your bit about people's personal spending being a cause of their own problems makes me think you may be short on life experience. Sorry to say that but if you think in the modern economy it is a choice to have a personal laptop or electronics that is ridiculous. Also, college degrees that are worthless? lol. Yes so every person can be an engineer and we have no poetry art films or anything else. No one can know politics or international relations because they aren't STEM majors. You realize automation is actually going to crush the STEM majors first right? Those will be the less important majors with in our lifetime.
You don't have to pay the popper if you are the US. Again it's a fallacy. Who is going to come and repossess our tanks and airplanes? No one. Nobody can do anything about our debt, and no one can do anything about any other major countries debt either.
We can print money for bank bailouts when they rob us but not bail out ourselves when the economy crashes? We can't get healthcare or social services but weapons companies can keep being subsidized by the state? What about corporate welfare that subsidizes corporations all over the country?
People need to understand what social class they're in and fight for their own interests. Don't worry about corporations they can take care of themselves. Worry about your own wellbeing and future. Ultimately, You have to live among the poor, not them. When they are desperate and have nothing left, it's you they will eat first.
RE: Hey Steemit Economists: Trump Tax Plan is More Failed Trickle Down Economics