You're correct that it's not the government's job to take care of people in this way. But you also have to allow for the effect of 70 years of New Deal socialism. You can't blame anyone for playing the game according to the rules in place at the time.
In the long term of course, this is an arena in which the government shouldn't be involved, like education, but you can't bait and switch people who've been living under this set of rules their whole lives.