Beneath The Surface - Obstacle to Deficit Cutting: A Nation of Entitlements

The fraction of American households not paying federal income taxes has also grown—to an estimated 45% in 2010, from 39% five years ago
However, 13% of all U.S. households pay neither federal income nor payroll taxes
Payments to individuals—a budget category that includes all federal benefit programs plus retirement benefits for federal workers—will cost $2.4 trillion this year, up 79%, adjusted for inflation, from a decade earlier when the economy was stronger. That represents 64.3% of all federal outlays, the highest percentage in the 70 years the government has been measuring it. The figure was 46.7% in 1990 and 26.2% in 1960.