Why do you think people "deserve" welfare or a "fair share of the pie"?

A few reasons. 1. The French Revolution, the Russian Revolution, the Chinese Revolution. Lesson: starving people will overthrow their governments violently, they will mass execute the ruling class. We don't want that here, do we?

2. Businesses like more customers. They actually do. They like people to walk in their doors able to buy things rather than to just look, longingly, or to steal what they need. So having people who can't get work for one reason or another with money to buy things helps businesses. That keeps people employed. Whats wrong with that?

3. You do not want a wealthy ruling class of idle rich who do nothing but cash dividend checks, do you? Idle rich who have too much money, too much power, and never actually do or produce anything. Its OK for them to be rich, but not super rich, tax their money away and use it to hire people to do important work like repair the infrastructure. You do not want all the roads and bridges and aqueducts and sewers and schools and military equipment to fall apart, do you? Tax the rich, its good for them!

Sad truth here, we don't take care of our own. Every family has their not-quite-right, or slow relative, in other times we took them in, along with the widow left without a cent, or the maiden aunt. Women particularly were prone to be living off the charity of better off relatives, as unpaid houseworkers often, since jobs for women were scarce.

Now you don't hear about the son taking in the mother, they move states away and don't want the responsibility since he and his wife both work, that didn't used to happen either, or maybe mom is a handful and they let the state work it out rather than keep her at home. Your question never even covers the millions who work that one half hour less than a full time position, and there isn't anything else available where they live, and without it, there isn't enough to pay the rent, let alone afford transportation.

Then there is the other fact of life, you can have a job, and marry, have a house, and have a couple of kids, and the plant moves to China, and you now have a house, two kids, and no job or money coming in, or your next job is where they like to keep you under full time.

Kids don't go away if your company moves, and their feet don't stop growing and they still get hungry three times a day.

Circumstances can change, and birth control isn't retroactive.

I know some mentally challenged people on welfare, she's got about the mental capacity of a thirteen year old, but a physically adult body, she's twenty three.

Married and a mother, the government watches her carefully because she doesn't always remember she has to feed and change the baby all the time.

Her husband is little better than she is, but they are both sweet people, just ones that never quite grow up. What should we do with the 'now' of their situation?

They both work in sheltered jobs too, those pay slave wages btw.

You speak of working hard, can you imagine what its like to patch two or three jobs together to keep food on the table? Many on welfare do work, and some would work more, but they have sick kids, and if they go off welfare and get a job that pays more, they couldn't afford to have the kids treated, so they work less.

One of the things the Affordable Care Act will do is help people like that be able to work and still get coverage they can't afford with lower incomes.

Most people use welfare for a short period, you can't do it more than five years, and in some places you do need to work too.

You might enjoy the site below, for a different way of looking at the 'self-made millionaire''. And what they say about it.

You have a rich person attitude. I grew up in a dirt poor family (that took no govt. help- we'd often go hungry before getting anything from a food kitchen), but my parents were from comfortably well off families so I grew up with a rich person attitude too. Saving money for a later date when money is short, educating myself to better myself, obeying laws,... Poor people with poor person attitudes don't think this way. If they save too much money they don't get free housing or food or phones or whatever. If they get a job they lose that too. There is no benefit to raising themselves above their current position because they feel there is no way they can get up above the position they are in. You mentioned people having kids- that should give you a clue right off they probably aren't the brightest people around. Drop out of school at 15 and raise your kid...It doesn't matter if they COULD get out of the cycle of welfare they were born into, they don't know any other way of life so won't change. Only when republicans are able to make life so miserable for welfare reciepients who are able to work (and actually are near places that will hire them) will anything change. If republicans REALLY wanted to cut out welfare, they'd slowly reduce benefits every year or two. Problem is, republicans don't really want to change the system, they just want to scream about it. I know a number of people that call themselves republicans that own apartment houses that house the section 8 welfare people. They are getting rich off welfare. Same with store owners that accept food stamps. Same with businesses that supply the majority of the food items that people buy with food stamps.

I have a very good friend who always worked hard, had a successful real estate business and developed cancer. Her health insurance paid very little, she depleted her life savings paying medical bills. She was fortunate enough to find a job at a hospital where she got health insurance and she worked in the cafeteria as long as she could until the cancer and treatment became too much for her. She went on SSI and Medicaid and moved in with her elderly parents. Her story is not unique and I am thankful that our country has a system that helps take care of our own. She is om Medicare and Medicaid and will be going on a clinical trial shortly. She will die, but by going on a clinical trial she may be able to help others.

This is a side of life selfish people as yourself do not see or bother to investigate.

I hope this will never happen to you. Too bad you are self centered. Are we to throw our sick, elderly, or children out to fend for themselves?

I deserve a piece of the pie because I have worked since I was 15yrs old. Paid my income and sales taxes to the state government until I got laid off when I was 50. Unemployment benefits kept my head above water. My home didn't fall into disrepair, which kept my neighbors property values intact. I could shop locally to keep their businesses open. I could remain healthy so I could be able to work. My home and car could be insured so I could remain a responsible citizen.

I helped pay for the pie, and won't be bullied into not being able to take a slice when I need it.

Living on welfare isn't fun, at all. You barley get enough money to survive and need to live in ghetto areas. Also, you cannot keep getting welfare unless you do job training or something like that. And most millionairs this day and age are not self made, I would be suprised if even 10% were. Katnigy and Rockafeller are just two examples out of millions and millions of people born into poverty, it isn't an easy cycle to break.

If they have contributed to the pie, why not. People work, they pay taxes why shouldn't they then get assistance when needed.

Obama Gravy Train, "Liberals simply want to make everyone equal" and you say this is wrong. Didn't I read somewhere that "all men are created equal"? That's right, the American Declaration of Independence.

I work with the elderly and yes some people deserve welfare and food stamps. The elderly are the forgotten ones. Some of the people I work with have worked and paid into the system their entire lives but now they need a little help. Some of them have to choose between eating and the cost of their medications. And with Washington cutting most of their fuel assistance they now have to use that extra money for heating for the winter. They desire it, they worked for it and in some cases they fought for it (veterans).

Welfare people deserve nothing except an opportunity to succeed just like everyone else by taking advantage of educating themselves, having initiative, good attitude and strong work ethic.

I don't have the time to read this, but will say that I dislike the welfare system; it is easy to abuse. However, we have used it to excess and it wouldn't be smart to take it away now. Especially if done abruptly.