There's welfare cash assistance, medicaid, food stamps, LIHEAP, free phone, reduced utilities, housing/rental assistance, just oodles of benefits from your benevolent gubmint. The thing is, if enough people took them up on it, or even threatened to, the flag would turn white overnight and the government would surrender.
And by the way, the Americans who lived in the Revolutionary era were making incredible sacrifices. They went without. They went from the farms to the campaigns, left their families behind, went hungry, wore rags, walked rather than rode. Some left bloody footprints.
But they loved liberty. We cling to our convenience, comfort, security.
You are absolutely right. We are too comfortable to sacrifice for our future. If people could only realize how quickly we could have Congress overturning this mess. As Rush says, follow the money.
I was referring to working Americans living on the income they earn, with no other source, not those on the dole for whom the resources you mentioned are available.