Blame it on the Poor

The article "In Hard Times, Americans Blame the Poor," discusses poverty and how people start to take out their anxiety and frustration on those people who are living off of welfare.

I don't understand why people take out their anger on the poor. People living in poverty are not the ones to blame for the recession. It is understandable that people who have just gotten laid off of a job or who are struggling financially would be somewhat hostile to people receiving welfare. From a working man's point of view, it is as if those on welfare are mooching off the government.

While there are some cases where people choose to depend on welfare, I think more often than not, the people receiving welfare truly need it. During a recession, those people on welfare are suffering just as much if not more than their wealthier counterparts. It doesn't seem right to blame the poor for something they have no control over. The recession affected everyone.