regarding 1), there is something wrong with helping people when they make poor choices, especially when "helping" is providing material assistance. you are basi

regarding 1), there is something wrong with helping people when they make poor choices, especially when "helping" is providing material assistance. you are basically subsidizing the unwanted behavior. at the margins, this causes more people to make the bad choice in the first place. this doesn't mean the government shouldn't help people who make mistakes at all, but it does mean the help has to be structured very carefully to minimize the perverse incentives.