On the note about the social issue: I recognize the primary obstacle is the social stigma we attach to "people on benefits" or "the welfare queens" and all that

On the note about the social issue: I recognize the primary obstacle is the social stigma we attach to "people on benefits" or "the welfare queens" and all that other nonsense, it doesn't make the situation any less clear. We spend vast amounts of money subsidizing through inefficient programs the people who are either incapable or unwilling to take care of themselves. We're going to pay for it either way, either by just giving them what they need to live a relatively healthy lifestyle, or by forcing them to live an incredibly unhealthy one and then subsidize the prisons to hold them or the hospitals to keep them on the edge of life. The question we need to answer as a society is whether the latter option which is much, much more expensive is worthwhile to do just to keep this imagined requirement going. Frankly I think if all the counter arguments boil down to "that's just the way we are" I would reply with "that's not good enough for me, because we can change."