I don't think anyone needs to explain themselves...BUT anyone who is accepting government assistance had better be working their tail off to get off the system.
I got welfare and food stamps back when I was an irresponsible 21 year old new mother who had no future. I worked so hard to get training and a job.
10 months.
That's all it took to get my act together, so seriously, 1 year of assistance should be plenty.
And since then I've put myself through undergrad and graduate school as a single mom with no government help other than student loans.
So, I have nothing against people who lose jobs and need help, or people who live in towns that have started to collapse under them from the economy, and I have nothing against people who make a bad decision or two like myself and want a second chance.
BUT if you're not working to get off the assistance, then that is a problem.