Is it even the job of government to compensate for poor parenting?
IMO, it's not the government's job, but going from the current cradle-to-grave support system to a total hands-off approach where only voluntary charity helps the vast majority of the indigent isn't going to happen. To that end, welfare programs need to include more mandatory education items like basic cooking and child nutrition, and a secondary budgeting function that only allows a certain percentage of benefits to be spent on prepared foods, etc. The percentage can be increased for the ones who have a legitimate disability that makes it difficult for them to stand at the stove, put a heavy roaster in the oven, etc., but darn near anybody can drop a 3lb pot roast in the crock pot and walk away.
