> The minimum wage is creeping higher every day. Not in constant dollars [0]. It peaked in 1968. It's a bit lower than that now -- if you accept the official

> The minimum wage is creeping higher every day. Not in constant dollars [0]. It peaked in 1968. It's a bit lower than that now -- if you accept the official inflation estimates, which some argue are understated. > Social Security, Medicaid, and Medicare spending has never been higher. True, though as a percentage of GDP, Social Security hasn't increased that much since 1975 -- it reached 4% then, and is around 5% now. [1] I'll let you look up the numbers on Medicare and Medicaid. The situation with the ACA is complicated -- it is costing some money in the short run, but (a) it's less than originally projected, and (b) more importantly, it does seem to be curbing healthcare inflation (something is, anyway). All that said, your point that the welfare state hasn't been shrinking, either, is a fair one. Perhaps it's fairer to say -- as I think the OP is arguing -- that economic conditions, particularly since the Great Recession, and especially the fact that the middle class has been shrinking in recent years, put us in a situation where the need for the safety net is arguably greater than it had been until recently. [0] http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/07/23/5-facts-about-the-minimum-wage/ http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/07/23/5-facts-abou... [1] http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/social_security_spending_by_year http://www.usgovernmentspending.com/social_security_spending...