I'm disheartened (but not surprised) by this. I've looked at both sides of this argument, but it comes down to doing the right thing for me. There have always been poor and irresponsible people, always. There always will be poor and irresponsible people. There are also people who have made some bad decisions and reaped horrible consequences - hopefully said person learns something. IMO you don't throw away people because of circumstances and bad decisions, you give them another chance. That doesn't mean they don't have to also help themselves.
I cannot advocate letting people die, or go without healthcare or food or shelter (unless they choose to do so). I also don't advocate hand-outs for the rest of your life because you're lazy, ignorant, etc. There has to be a compromise that is workable. My city offers a Hand-Up for single women on welfare. They help them get into college, help them get a part-time job (until their degree is complete - then it's on to full-time), help them find adequate and affordable day-care, help them get transportation (we have no public transportation that actually works), help them choose affordable insurance, etc., etc. Of course this is not cheap. However, our tax dollars (as far as I know, other than the groups tax-free status) aren't supporting this - companies, individuals, churches, groups, etc., - are.
I realize this is small-scale compared to the entire country, but... it's an idea!
Ok, rant over.