Most government transfers are not from the rich to the poor.

Carpe Diem reports:

The most important factor in determining the pattern of redistribution appears to be political influence, not poverty. Of the $1.07 trillion in federal transfers in 2000, only about 29 percent, or $312 billion, was means tested (earmarked for the poor). The other 71 percent—about $758 billion in 2000—was distributed with little attention to need.

The problem of the rent-seeking society.