I almost puked when I read that last one, TBONZ.
Should the mom and kids be forced to suffer? No. As a matter of fact, they weren't forced.......it was a decision her old man made (and her too) when they decided insurance was a waste of their money.
I know this person is a friend of yours, and perhaps that skews your perception a bit, but there is no way in hell I would be willing to use my tax dollars, or charitable contribution, to keep those kids "Acustomed to the life they are used too".
To keep them going to private schools? Gimmie a break!
What next? Give the Enron execs kids a free ride because daddy got pinched?
People in this country live hand to mouth every day for their entire lives, and never see a dime of public assistance. They get by on working two jobs, eating less food, never spending money on things for themselves or their kids, etc. Nobody throws them a parade. They slip through the radar unoticed. Why? They realize that they made the choices that have them where they are, and don't blame the rest of the country, and look for handouts.
If you drop out of school, you get a shitty job. If you get knocked up at 15, you have a tougher time making it. If you rob a bank, you go to jail. If you don't pay insurance, you suffer those consequences. Is it fair? It depends on whom you ask.
The United States government is not your legal guardian.