Just a quick comment to add to Don's essay --

The old adage says an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. In many cases, an ounce of preventative "welfare" solves a bigger and more expensive problem down the road. Social programs, when carefully applied, can be more fiscally conservative than not having them at all.

Which is cheaper -- free heart medication, or an emergency room trip for heart attack, funded by taxpayers?

Which is cheaper -- the cost of a good public education, or the $50,000 or so per year it costs to house a prisoner year after year?