I think this boils down to some simple concepts. We have more government programs and government oversight than ever before. Our solution to fix the problems is to add more government programs and more oversight. We have more taxes than anywhere in the world. As the original post insinuates, we have a tax on everything. If there isn't a bonafide tax, there is a fee instead.
Get rid of all the stupid programs. Let people make their own bed. Life was never designed to be fair. If you don't like where you are, do something about it. If we are saying that its the children of the poor that are the issue, thats an easy fix, stop giving the poor incentive to have kids. Instead offer them money to not have kids, it would save a fortune.

When I used to play paintball, I know for a fact that I tried much harder when I played in t-shirt and shorts than when I played with pads and pants. It hurt like a SOB to get hit with just a tshirt on. I paid a lot more attention to my hiding spots and thought out what I was going to do next. When I was in pads, it was "he who lays down the most paint wins" balls to the wall firefight. No strategy, no worries. There were no repercussions when I wore pads, if I got hit, I just had to sit out for a few mintues until the next round began. At this point with all the social "safety nets", we have removed any repercussions of failure to plan. Do we need food stamps and welfare, sure, but it should be for 12 weeks or some finite period of time. In order to receiv benefits, you have a mando drug test, while you are receiving benefits, you go to work. Roadside cleanup in the AM, job search in the PM. Mow public lawns and the like. There is always something you can do. After your 12 weeks, you hit the road.
My father owns a factory in Ohio. He actually has a few employees that he pays minimum wage to not come to work. In a factory, when one guy is 20 minutes late, its like all 40 of them are late 20 minutes. Ohio is a right to work state, meaning he can't fire them for being late. They have all kinds of rules before you can fire an employee. They can be late up to 20 minutes with no excuse and no repercussions. If he fires them, he has to pay their unemployment insurance, which costs more than minimum wage. He is screwed.
Those minumum wage deadbeats that he is paying are probably collecting foodstamps as well. I have to wonder how many scams like that are played out across the country?