Just because you don't see/experience it in the circle you operate in doesn't mean it doesn't happen.
It definitely happens on a grand scale, and as stated above, the system is rife with endemic/systematic abuse.
Generations of it, actually.
It is a learned behavior brought about by a continued abuse of the system, allowed by hopeful candidates (incumbents as well as new), that play on those dependencies.
Is everyone that receives government assistance bad, lazy or worthless?
Certainly not. There are many people that truly benefit from assistance programs, because they need and even deserve the help.
The greater problem lies in the culture that has developed around the system currently in place, which pols are intrinsically aware of and copiously use to their "electability" advantage.
The entire system was supposed to be temporary in nature, not a career path. (You can apply that to politics and food stamps, btw. )
.gov assistance was originally meant to be a hand up, not a handout. (though that statement in itself may be a bit Pollyanna-ish in and of itself, as I'm sure there were deeper and darker intentions from the get go considering the originations)
Sent from somewhere