Plus ....... if we implemented some common sense principles concerning welfare distribution, we could extend any moratorium on immigration indefinitely. We’d save money by giving welfare only to those who can’t work and give the rest of them a sense of accomplishment and self esteem.
Welfare taps into the darkest parts of human nature. The more you give somebody, the more they resent it. We are seeing that in spades after 50 - 60 years of uncontrolled welfare. You are absolutely right - self-esteem and self-worth only come from accomplishing something and you never get that on welfare. The country was so much better when local agencies handled the truly needy cases and the monstrous, uncaring federal government was not involved. Can we ever get back to that?