Huh, Where I live isn't quite the ghetto, but it's not that far away. I live in an area thats mostly filled with immigrants from Mexico or other places in South/Central America, and it's not exactly a wealthy area. I bought out in this area for two reasons- it was close to work, and until I can pay off my student loans it's what I can easily afford. I'm an accountant, and while I'm still fairly new to the field (1 1/2 years on the job now) I make pretty decent money. I also have a very keen eye for what things cost, and I can't figure out how the family down the street that's got one adult working full time at a restaurant, another working part time as a maid, and three kids to feed can still manage to live a lifestyle I can't afford. I also can't help but be annoyed when I go to the grocery store and see someone wearing expensive clothes and driving a 30k+ car whip out the food stamp card to pay for her groceries.
Look, I have no issue with helping those who really need it, but the level of fraud in the welfare and aid systems has gotten totally out of hand. There are too many people out there that could work, but chose not to because it would mean losing some of their aid. I've got a co-worker that won't ever work overtime because even a few extra hours would put her over the line to receive food stamps. That wouldn't bother me except for the fact that she has a husband thats perfectly capable of working that won't go get a job. From my point of view cutting off their food stamps would force him to get off his lazy butt, find a job, and become a productive member of society. Heck, if he would work even 25 hours a week he would bring home more then they receive in food stamps every month, and that's at minimum wage.