Being a landlord to society’s lower levels I can explain why. Their are two basic reasons why they don’t want or can’t keep a regular job. Either they are unemployable for a number of reasons; alcoholism, drug use, no driver’s license, general lack of intelligence, and zero motivation...Or, they already have a job that meets their needs. Often, they are making $10 or more dollars per hour, which is all take home, or they are, for one reason or another, unable to work for others. In this class are people who, though amply capable, are psychologically incapable of taking orders or, they simply don’t want to work other people’s hours. They make enough to get by and they have Medicaid for their medical needs. (I had one renter I never saw without a beer in one hand and a cigarette dangling from her lips. She had been treated numerous times with chemo and operations for throat cancer, at taxpayer expense, yet never stopped drinking and smoking.)
In my experience these people have a large family or group of enablers, including generous churches, who support them when something happens.
My secretary shared the lobby window with the welfare secretary. One day, the welfare secretary, who had worked there for years, got tired of them taking home more money and benefits than she did working 40/wk and quit. When lazy ashed welfare clients are doing better than state workers, something is very wrong.