The United States spends 2.4 times as much on the elderly as on children, measured on a per capita basis, with the ratio rising to 7 to 1 if looking just at the federal budget.
Brookings Institution Study

As the Fukushima radiation hits the West Coast, we would do well to recall that Cascadia, The Pacific Northwest, is no stranger to the intercontinental pollution:

A growth strategy for the American economy requires more than promises to cut taxes and spending. We have to be willing to do things, not just cut things.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner, 4/4/2012