jewishfeminist02: the problem with the proofs you bring, which are the proofs usually cited, are the fact that the rambam clearly states many times that one should not under any circumstances make money from learning Torah! he even gave out his seforim free of charge!
now, when the rambam speaks about how the community should pay for people to learn, that is a mitzvah of a community. not to be mistaken with a mitzvah of a personal level, like working. yes, a community has an obligation to have a kollel, yet no one person has an obligation to be in that kollel. we, as a community , are supposed to seek out the best and brightest of our learners, and offer them compensation for their choosing learning our holy Torah over their choosing to do holy work (typical job, which is holy non-the-less).
a similar idea can be found in america’s justice system. everyone has the right to an attorney, but that doesn’t mean that every attorney must take every scumbag that wants to be his client. obviously a kollel guy isn’t a scumbag, and lawyers aren’t the best examples for anything {sorry cantoresq ;-)}, but the ideas are the same.one is a chiyuv one the rabim (having a kollel supported by the tzibur) , the other is not (a man not working and learning in kollel.