I worked in public assistance for a long time and never thought that any of the people receiving checks were living very high on the hog. Some of them were satisfied living in squalor in projects or substandard housing, some hated it and wanted a good job and lifestyle. Most of the latter didn't have anything going for them; They weren't anyone you would want working for you as there were a lot of low I.Q.s, lightfingeredness, lack of hygiene, lengthy records, substance abuse, and on and on. They also made the worst possible choices whenever given the opportunity. Not very many scamming the system; a few, but a very few.
Meanwhile the family next house to me for 20 years are all mentally retarded but worked their way off of SSI (mental retardation) and dad has a productive job as an over the road driver ( kinda scary when you think about that.). The oldest kid is a truck washer and will likely never be able to get an OTR license as he's pretty "involved" as they say. Mama can't come close to being able to read but gets the kids off to school clean and fed every day, attends all parent and special ed conferences, and does what a good parent should do despite an obvious dose of retardation. Somewhere in the past somebody did a real good job of teaching her to be productive, and it sure wasn't her mother whose case I had the misfortune to know when I worked in assistance.
I employ 3 or 4 workers on a very part time basis on the farm; it's a little extra money at Christmas. One guy has a degree in chemistry, the ex-Marine with a degree in English Literature I'll probably lose when he gets his appointment to the Fire Department. My best guy maybe got out of High School, maybe, but was very smart and excellent with customers. Unfortunately he died of an overdose recently; while his son wants his father's job, I wouldn't touch the son with a 10 foot pole . Very big on the entitlement mentality, not a good worker.
All this in New York where welfare benefits are supposed to be of the Cadillac variety.