Good point.
It IS a cancer. That's all it is. It has no redeeming value. It fosters irresponsibility, dependence upon others, it destroys individuality, breeds despair and contempt, limits innovation, punishes individual initiative, wastes resources, and generally makes life miserable for those who buy into its 'value system' as having merit. NO civilization has ever taxed itself into prosperity. It is a method of acquiring and maintaining power by appealing to the basest of human emotions: Getting something for nothing.