It is too late, and society has changed too much, to return to the day when government paid for almost none of these services (social safety net). Government decisions about imports/exports, work conditions, retirement age, health care, how to handle bankrupt organizations' pension funds, etc., all affect the people that the social safety net tries to help.
The question, and its answers, are loaded with emotion for many people who think that the recipients of these services are lazy, don't want to work, etc. We do have people in the system who think they never have to work and contribute to the tax base. But the safety net also provides for many people who are unable to work and provide for themselves through no fault of their own.
Putting the emotional aspect aside, if we consider ourselves a civilized society, we will be judged by how we cared for our most vulnerable citizens. The social safety net is designed to aid those most vulnerable citizens.
My opinion is that we should fund it but that we must find new, innovative ways beyond just taxes to fund it. And there must be a balance between federal and state funding so the social safety net works without bankrupting states or the federal budget. Services provided must be structured to be cost-effective, efficient, and actually provide them in a way that does not demean the recipient.
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