Let me try to correct some misconceptions.

Food stamps - this is a Federal food program from the Department of Agriculture (USDA), but it is administered by the individual States. It is not welfare, per se, but a program that helps low income people and families buy food. Some time ago, the benefits came to the recipient in a coupon book, but this system was rife with fraud and some people felt it placed a stigma on recipients, most of whom were single women with children. Today, the benefits come in the form of an EBT card which can be used in just about every other state.

Unemployment benefits - this program is most definitely not welfare or public assistance. It is funded entirely (like 100%) by employers. Employees do NOT pay into this insurance fund. It is meant as a temporary assistance for those furloughed or separated from their jobs while they look for another job. Do a search on the forums for my long, drawn out discourse on unemployment benefits.

So, having said all that, and being a small business owner right now, I say that the real problem is not the unemployed collecting benefits or the old collecting Social Security or the disabled collecting SSI. What this country needs is jobs creation. I am not sure how to achieve that. As everyone knows, I did hire a barista, but had to lay him off because daily revenue was not enough to pay him, let alone pay for the cost of goods, utilities, rent or a salary for myself. Olympia (WA's capital) threatens to increase taxes, including sales tax and payroll taxes. This will result in more layoffs as business will not be able to meet those higher taxes.

I will be the first one to hire 2 or 3 people if the revenue justifies it. But as it is, the few customers I have are either unemployed, underemployed, retired or disabled, and therefore do not have two dimes to rub together. The really sad thing is that many of my customers do not even have paper money; they pay me entirely with coins they scrounged from sofa seats.

Check out this article (Aging boomers face stark economics - CNBC TV- msnbc.com) about boomers falling into permanent hard times. I worry about everyone's future, particularly the young people. What is this world coming to?