Government service is an extremely expensive, one size fits all program, with a bureaucracy not interested in solving its mission since it would eliminate the bureaucrats reason for existing.  There are no checks on its cost.  And failure is rewarded with more loot. 

Welfare, the stealing of some peoples earnings at gun point to distribute to other people who the government has deemed worthy of the largess (i.e., socialism). Worse, the government wants credit for its “charity,” when it is the tax payer who is being compulsory charitable.   

Those receiving welfare have not earned what they receive.  Welfare stifles spirit and pride by giving people something in exchange for nothing, except perhaps fealty towards the looters (buying government votes and loyalty).  Welfare recipients do not earn what they receive.  They do not contribute anything.  They merely consume.  They are government created parasites.  They live in welfare provided cookie cutter flop houses.  Entire generations are now born with no hope for escaping the government welfare camps that resemble apartheid.   

Welfare is the direct confiscation of earnings from the working class with transfer to the non-working class, with no requirement to “earn” the money beyond the requirement of some level of poverty or unemployment.  Indeed, those who try to crawl above this poverty line are immediately threatened with having their free income cut off.   

The system rewards pregnancy, especially out of wedlock pregnancy, corruption and graft, and unemployment.  Welfare penalizes the employed, those who are trying to get off of welfare, those  who save money, those who invest money, it kills off charities, charitable contributions (“let government do it”), those who desire to work, and limits ambitions of the poor and honest while assisting the corrupt. 

Under the Clinton administration there were some reforms requiring people to work a few hours a month for their money.  Also, a limitation on how long one could be on welfare, with a lot of loopholes.  And some loosening of the poverty cut offs to encourage people to get off of welfare, enter the real job market, without being penalized.  Those who left welfare seem ecstatic about their work.  Even if it is a menial job, that may pay the same as welfare money for “free.”  This is because this person now has worth to their employer, and to those that interact with them.  This is what welfare steals from people more than anything.  Their dignity, their self respect, by treating them as caged pets unable to choose their own destiny.