She’s the problem. There are a lot of her. Millions of her. Maybe tens of millions of her. And many of them call themselves conservative.
And until there is literally no money to pay her and her kids and the millions like her, there can be no solution.
I personally don't view people like your friend as the problem with entitlements. Although one can make the case that the states - and not the federal government - are a better bet to administer benefits to those truly in need.
Many believe this nation has an ethical and moral obligation to take care of the truly needy - the very young, the very old and the disabled - who cannot take care of themselves. The problem with entitlements is that healthy, able-bodied men and women find welfare and food stamps a more attractive lifestyle than working. Add to that the decimation of the nuclear family, out-of-wedlock pregnancies, and all of the other wonderful social ills wrought by liberalism.
There was a time when people like the children you describe would have been institutionalized. A moral and just society should provide for those truly in need. There is no reason that private charities, in conjunction with government funding, can't address this problem. IMHO
She is most definitely part of the problem, and here's why: We (my husband and I) pay for our kids to go through school, pay for their clothes, pay for their food, their medicine (the parts that insurance doesn't pay for, and we work to provide our own insurance). You know, like people are supposed to do for their kids.
She and her husband pay for none of that. It isn't that she and her husband can't. But they don't, because the government will and does. Did you know that you can get certified to have the government pay for your child's nursing care? You'll get paid to care for your own child.
I support charity. I don't support robbery. It may be good to support people who have problems, but since when do we have to support every private family decision with taxes?
At the end of the day, why does anyone have the right to steal money from another person for their upkeep?