The programmatic structure and modes of implementation of U.S. social provisions must be understood in order to gain insight into social programs in the United States. National standards have not been established for public benefits and "social security" has remained firmly separated, both institutionally and symbolically, from "welfare." Many federal measures are undertaken to further the well-being of broad sectors of the populace, including middle-strata employees and small property owners, without carrying the explicit label of "welfare" or "social policy." Comparative historical studies of modern welfare states show that vulnerable groups do best when bureaucrats and national political parties work together to build universal systems of public social provisions, stretching from the upper middle classes to the poorest. The U.S. structures have never allowed such forces to shape social policies. Instead, from the 19th century to the present, U.S. political arrangements have facilitated efforts to provide generous social policies for those in the U.S. majority who can help themselves and strong doses of "rugged individualism" for the minorities who cannot. (SM)