RE: Anabaptist Culture

Point taken, but even our welfare system requires you to travel some distance to get to the office. There is no office in the town where I live; it's about 10 miles away in York.

However, Angel Food Ministries shows that a system like yours *could* work. Serve good, solid food--nothing fancy.

Of course, the US Welfare system is more than food. It encompasses programs for Women, Infants, and Children (commonly called WIC), HUD payments for housing, help for utility bills, child care, etc. etc. etc. It's an all-encompassing system, noble in cause, but poorly administered--much like many programs where you have the government involved, sadly.

Also, you're correct on the subject of system abuse--for every one person I can cite that is a system 'abuser', I can also probably point to 3-4 more who aren't. I wish there were a way to eliminate all of the abuse, but your assertion that it would probably not be cost effective rings true.

We both agree there is a problem--and you provided one facet of a solution; but I think it would be better as a community-run program rather than a government run program. Funding and oversight on the part of the government, but run by non-government entities.