Why do we waste our hate on the poor?

Why are people so angry about the pittance that poor people receive from social safety net programs? Poor people are made to jump through hoops to receive their pittance, and still, so many Americans seem to have a problem with the money going toward helping the poor.

Is everyone doing so well that they can't have a bit of compassion for those who aren't doing well enough?

Why are so many up in arms, certain that poor people are just lazy? We have so many words now to describe the poor - Takers. Lazy. Morally defunct. Entitled. Leaches. Lacking ethics. It's as if Americans now fail to understand that most of us are just one financial disaster away from being homeless, or from needing the type of help we so readily decry as going to the Takers.

Think about it. Pretend your car needs a new engine, or you need a new car. Your choices include spending $3,000 on a new engine, or finding a used car to take a chance on, or buying a car and having car payments. Are any of these choices going to be easy for your family, financially?

And what if you suffer an injury that keeps you from working for 5 or 6 months? Or an illness that puts you in the hospital? I know that more Americans are insured, but insurance does not cover everything. In fact, people still go bankrupt despite having insurance.

What happens if you lose your job?

Most of us do not have the recommended savings equivalent to six months of expenses. You know, that absurd amount socked away, untouched, to help you get by until you find your next job? Most of us would LOVE to have a savings account large enough to allow us the time we need to become employed again without having to move, or put the kids in public school, or sell the car we love to downsize to one that is more affordable. Most of us would need to take immediate action to conserve our resources even as we hope and strive to become gainfully employed again.

So I ask again...why are so many Americans angry at the pittance that poor people get from social safety net programs, when so many of us are closer to needing such help than we admit?

The total amount of money going to fund such programs for the poor is tiny as compared to our defense funding, our oil subsidies, heck, smaller than most everything else we spend our taxes on. Wouldn't it make better sense to be mad that already healthy, wealthy oil companies (as an example) are getting such generous corporate welfare? It costs us a hell of a lot more than SNAP does.