1. *Welfare* programs are a significantly larger portion of the federal budget than military spending. 2. Defense is not nothing. Cut defense spending and you reduce America's presence abroad. Say what you will about American foreign policy, but if American power shrinks the void is going to be filled by god knows who. I'll take an imperfect but tolerable "known" to a potentially frightening/devastating "unknown." 3. Defense spending is a cost that benefits everyone equally. Welfare is a cost whose benefits are spread unequally. Defense is also a specific responsibility of the U.S. Congress while health and welfare is not.

The unknown poses a threat. The unknown of who or what would fill the power vacuum if the U.S. slashed its military forces is not trivial. I for one trust the power the U.S. holds today far more than I trust the ambitions of lesser powers who would likely see the U.S. reducing its power projection as an opportunity.