@ Tapeworm,
Well-intended help has made many helpless.
It's not sustainable, either. What happens when we run out of money? Just keep raising taxes?
You understand government funded medical works everywhere else. Even countries with lower tax rates than the US. And, as I keep repeating, if there were a way to reign in the retarded military budget it would solve a lot. You could even lower those evil, evil taxes if you wanted to.
As for the well intended help - if I were king there would still be the most hated of all programs: Welfare. But recipients would have to log a certain number of hours per day, say 4, doing something or learning a job skill. Teach a man to fish etc.
And if you don't turn up you don't get paid. You don't still get 4/5 of the money if you skip Monday. You're there all 5 days a week for every required hour or you get 0. So don't get sick. Don't get arrested. You're either there or you're not. This is the Last Chance Saloon and them's the rules.
A small percentage would be picking up roadside trash for Welfare and grumbling about it for the rest of their lives. Most people, however, would eventually take an interest in something, learn it, find work, and build a life.