Recovery from a cycle of dependence requires an acknowledgement that one IS dependent in the first place. That's the core principle of twelve step groups, and, I feel, SHOULD be the core principle of welfare and benefit recipients (seriously, "Welfare dependents anonymous" is NOT a bad idea).

I'm speaking as one who has BEEN there. In 2001, we went to the WIC office to renew benefits for our three young children. When told we didn't qualify, I was initially shocked. We were a low income family, we figured, and we DESERVED those benefits.

When we went home and I evaluated their decision, I was embarassed and ashamed. That year, I would make over $42,000 (easily the best earnings year of my life). And here I was complaining about being cut off from an "entitlement".

Granted, I've always been generous with charities, and have always tried to give to those less fortunate, even when we were pretty damned unfortunate ourselves. But NOTHING, in my estimation, justified my indignation when we were cut off from WIC while receiving a salary that easily placed us among the middle class. Yes, we still had to stretch somewhat to live comfortably, but it was our standard of living, not the system that was at fault.

That is why, when Bakerstreet blogged about Americans not knowing HOW to be poor, I had to nod my head in agreement. In the years intervening, we've been knocked back down a peg or ten, but I have realized that the key is on learning to live on what you can earn, and NOT on soliciting handouts to make up the difference.

After all, if you're sitting in front of a computer reading this (even if it IS at a library, as with me), I can pretty much guarantee you're living better than the majority of the world's population.