Reply #18: There IS a reward for good planning and personal sacrifice.

[Lyric]

That reward is luxury and/or leisure. You get to have nice(r) things than other people. You get to sleep at night, knowing your bills are paid and your future is secure. You get to buy nice things for your kids. You get to choose to feed your dog a better meal than the poor kids across town are getting, if you so desire. You get the privilege of having CHOICES.

The "social safety net" does not provide luxury. It doesn't even *entirely* provide the basics. It provides a small source of food and income for people who'd otherwise starve and be homeless. You're not eating poached sea bass and lobster pilaf on Food Stamps--you're eating cheap hot dogs, beans, and rice. You're not shopping at J Crew, Dean & Deluca, or FAO Schwartz with welfare benefits--you're shopping at Wal-Mart.

The social safety net doesn't "reward" people, unless you consider allowing someone to live without starving or freezing a "reward". Most people who need that help were no better or worse at "planning" than the average person; they just had less education, far fewer resources, and no support network to help them out of tight spots. They didn't have college funds. They didn't have the occasional check from Mom and Dad to cover the groceries, because Mom & Dad are even worse off than *they* are.

Frankly, what you call "good planning" and "personal sacrifice" is (not always, but quite often) more like being born on third base and thinking you hit a home run. Providing the basic essentials of life to the poorest among us is an act of mercy and national grace, not a "reward". NOBODY deserves to die of poverty, especially not in the wealthiest nation in the world. The average two-adult American family probably spends more at Starbucks every month than the average poor family gets in Food Stamps. You would think that people who enjoy such privilege and relative comfort would not so harshly begrudge the food and shelter that their tax dollars help to provide to the poor.