"The only people who can't get free money in this country are the ones too stupid to fill out the paperwork," the wise Gerard Reda once said. Welfare: the word alone should have a positive connotation, meaning fairing well or prosperity. Many taxpayers, however, dread this word. Very few Americans feel completely satisfied with the current welfare system, except perhaps those receiving the benefits themselves. Welfare not only drains the taxpayer, but it also does very little to actually encourage self-reliance and reduce poverty. Welfare requires reform, but none of the current measures are drastic enough. The only way to truly solve the problem of the welfare system is to eliminate it entirely.

America's pity for the so-called "less fortunate" perpetuates the welfare program. Simply referring to them as the less fortunate implies that they are mere victims of bad luck, not the results of their of their...