I was on welfare at age 18 to 19 during a bad unemployment period. Spent it all on fuel, smokes and drinking etc. I still needed the money at the time to live and since been employed for 20 years. Paid back all of it back in tax in just the first few years of working.
Welfare for unemployed in Australia is a small figure around $7 billion from memory. We hand out about the same to corporations for research and development, fuel tax discounts and mineral exploration. They then syphon the profits overseas to avoid paying tax here. Sounds fair to me, at least I paid my welfare back!
