Sometimes the lords of the lands declare taxes on those who accept "too much" assistance[1]

[1] Look up the horrendously byzantine laws surrounding disability pensions in the USA. If you're not angry, you're not paying attention.

You have no idea how bad it's gotten. If a person is making $900 a month on disability, and they try to do some small work-at-home projects, so they can make up for the lack of funds, esp. in a state that has high cost of living, they can actually LOSE their disability benefits and be left unable to pay their bills and cast out into the streets. It's sickening. Some, esp. the republican party, want to make disability benefits, and other such safety net programs disappear. I.e. they want to cancel them completely.