This isn't really a good argument for the parent IMHO, which deals specifically with middle income workers. Unfortunately I can't find an exact chart with deta

This isn't really a good argument for the parent IMHO, which deals specifically with middle income workers. Unfortunately I can't find an exact chart with details on the % of transfer payments devoted to each category, but my best guess is that "middle income workers" are not the biggest target for a large portion of this category. It's pretty clear in various budget charts though that the largest category of "transfer payments" in the United States go to the retired (Medicare and Social Security) and health assistance for the poor (Medicaid). Some of the other big hitters also are more low income oriented (eg SNAP). There are some programs like unemployment insurance which may help middle income workers, but they only temporarily under a very specific circumstance. Even something like EITC (I'm not sure if it counts as a transfer payment or not in that graph, but it should) tapers off well below middle income if you don't have children. (There's not necessarily anything wrong with biasing transfer payments to the poor and elderly at all, I'm just saying that if transfer payments have increased a lot, chances are it wasn't caused by any middle income worker except maybe retired ones.)