Our system is supposed to have two components… one designed to care for people who are physically or mentally disabled, elderly, orphans, etc. The other component is a transitional safety net designed to help those that get laid off, injured at work, or whose job goes away for a host of reason. The key to this second component is the word transitional.

I know someone that earns $24 an hour, but limits their hours so they qualify for various entitlement programs. I think to many Americans fail to make the connection that when the government pays for something, it is really money coming out of the neighbor’s wallet.

Their neighbor may be more than willing to lend a hand but they don’t want people “depending on system” that don’t need to be. When our system pays so much that people earning $24 an hour worry about “earning to much” and losing those government benefits, that seems to suggest we have a problem.