[freehunter]

Well I didn't say all, and I didn't say welfare programs get people back on their feet. I said it helps people get back on their feet.

Living in Michigan, almost all of my family became unemployed as a result of the factories closing down. Some took the assistance to get retraining and find another job, and some took maintaining the assistance as their new job or as a retirement package. Some just weren't able to get back into the job market no matter how they tried. I got out of my state's "No Worker Left Behind" retraining assistance just before the new governor shut down the incredibly successful program.

It's a combination of willingness to work and ability to work. Welfare programs can do no more than take basic survival off your "worries" list.