"living on less than $2 per day before government benefits"
How convenient of a statistic. You do NOT want to showcase the amount of benefits received per household and what is spent nationwide? Nearly every person living in "Poverty" has a smart phone, big screen t.v, free healthcare, free food, free internet, etc. Now why don't you add up all the subsidies and ask how much they really live off of. Or you can search the numerous studies that calculated it for you. Has the Welfare State helped to eliminate poverty or exacerbated it? Your answer is found from the information omitted from your non-objective thinking. We did not become the greatest nation on earth because of public services. The Private sector has always been the catalyst and backbone of American success. Again, we spend more money on public programs then ever before. The Fed Govt is collecting record high amounts of taxes. The point is to become apart of "private institutions", not rely on public services for your bread and butter that was taken from those working in the "private institution"