In the struggle for a share of society's resources, children and youth in the United States have not done nearly as well as some other interest groups.

Although the United States spends more on govern-ment programs for children now than 30 years ago, government programs that benefit adults have grown at a much faster pace.

In addition, people over age 65 have gained the largest increase in government support. The government spends more on the health-care needs of the elderly during the last year of life than it spends on all the health care of all children. Overall, the government spends 11 times as much on each person over age 65 as on each child under age 18 (Hewlett, 1991).

As demonstrates, Social Security and Medicare programs, which direct funds mostly to the elderly, have grown considerably over the past four decades-to the point now where they consume.