In 2010, 16% of the entire federal budget, in America, was spent on the poor; that was up 5,400% since 1970. Bill O'Reilly, of Fox News, called this huge spenditure "socialism", and said it wouldn't work in America.
Poverty, he says, is not only an economic problem; and points out that 9% of Americans have some kind of substance dependence, and most of them cannot earn a living. Poverty is also a social problem (as everybody knows...). And psycological, as some would say...
On the other hand, even more of the federal budget was spent (and is still spent these days) on Defense and the Military.
See the video.