Although I doubt I will add anything to this topic, I just wanted to say something. There is a very small group of people in this world who will spend their time productively developing a skill or a (potential) product if they’re given enough free time; and if they’re talented enough, their timing is correct, and they get lucky they will become remarkably successful. For example, I expect that some developer who loses their job because of the recession will end up putting all their energy towards developing a website which will become remarkably well known and successful.
The truth is that these people are rare and, because of their underlying productive nature, they will typically not be the kinds of people who end up on welfare ...
Now, when you look at welfare from a high level there is a disturbing trend where communities that rely heavily on welfare (and being on welfare loses the stigma associated with it) the community seems to rot from inside. There are countless factors associated with this, but one of the main factors in my opinion is that it would be virtually impossible to raise a child with a solid work ethic and the drive to make something out of themself when they're raised in an environment where people don't work for anything.
