There goes "everything else" - This review by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities titled "Where do our tax dollars go?" is revealing not so much by what the United States currently spends but by the trajectory of spending we should expect as the Baby Boomers retire in large numbers.

There is no political will to cut Social Security (21% of the budget) or Medicare/Medicaid (another 21%) and the United States must pay interest on the national debt (9%). Defense and security (22%) spending along with "safety net" spending will not be significantly diminished, leaving the squeeze on the 18% of the budget defined as "everything else": medical research, benefits for civil servants, transportation, education, national parks, and a lot of other things most Americans call "government."

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