>>29
The welfare check isn't the thing that got you out of poverty, your mother's hard work and your own ambition to make a better life did.
The fact that welfare played a role in your success isn't itself a justification for its existence. The End doesn't justify the Means. Have you asked yourself where did the government got the money to pay for welfare? They were hard earned cash belonging to other individuals which were taken from them without consent.
Need isn't a right. Just because someone might need more wealth doesn't not give him the right to another's property. You say "While I know some people do abuse the system, the ones who don't shouldn't be punished." If the government lock you up in a cell, that would be a punishment. How exactly are you punished when you stop receiving money that was never yours to begin with?
Charity is the only right way to lend other people a hand, because the exchange of wealth is voluntary and with consent. I am not condemning you for accepting welfare checks since you are forced to pay tax too. But you should never support it.