David Brooks’ latest column is awesome, and it unites a few themes that we occasionally discuss at The Agenda: (a) that America’s hidden welfare state is larger than is commonly understood; (b) that social expenditures in the U.S. are comparable to social expenditures in western Europe, yet we rely more heavily on tax expenditures that disproportionately benefit the relatively affluent; and (c) there is room for a sensible compromise on tax reform.