Tell that to 3 generations of my family. My father being a prime example of going from a construction worker - literal ditch digger - to the upper class. He did it by working his butt off. I didn't see my father a lot when I was growing up - just on the weekends. That was because he was at job sites, making sure that the people working for him were doing what they were getting paid for - providing their labor commodity.

This kind of "people or profit" sophistry is literal bullsh!t. A person's only asset to sell to an employer is their labor commodity. Whether that be painting lines on a parking lot, or managing a hedge fund for a bank. The value of that labor commodity is what the market is willing to pay someone to provide it. I care about a person in the sense that we can make a mutually beneficial economic transaction that provides both parties with what they want. Thats how I care for people.

In a welfare state, I'm not getting *ANYTHING* for my forced labor confiscation. How is that fair?

As for the example of the teenage unwilling to work because he was able to go on foodstamps instead...

There's a simple solution to this. YOu can only buy basic necessities with food stamps. You can't use them in restaurants. In fact, you don't even get to use them in stores. You have to show up at a government run building, wait in line for an hour and you're distributed a stipend of fresh fruit, vegetables, frozen meat, starches, dairy, etc. No hamburger helper, no ice cream, no prepared food. The basic food pyramid for you if I'm paying for it. Then you get put on a clock. Take away the perceived value of foodstamps and turn them into truly a barebones safety net instead of an entitlement.