charliehall: First of all, the only ones ever to cut those programs, like SS or Medicare, have been Democrats (Clinton and Obama). They talk a good game and scare the elderly that if you don’t vote for them, you’ll lose those benefits. That is EVIL!
The welfare programs have harmed society by destroying family life. My cousin was a welfare social worker in NY when those programs first started and he saw how the temporary split in families, who were intact, happened in order to get benefits, became permanent. That breakdown in family life has ruined society.
Just because some Frum people benefit, doesn’t make it good. People who scam the system, and there are many, makes for a Chillul Hashem. You know the old Williamsburgh approach to living on “MUSAF” even when working off the books? Also, it is not Tzedaka when you demean the recipient either, which the system does.
Also, even if it were done with the best of intentions, the programs were supposed to be a last resort (ha ha), not the first option so you don’t have to earn a living.