Yes go back to the pre world war II era, before the Great Depression even... where if you fell on hard times you were basically screwed cuz their was no government assistance. No one wants that. It is true that perhaps their are those that abuse it but it's not right to take it away from those who need it to survive while they pick themselves up. I'm quite sure if you ever had to take government assistance for awhile you might actually eat a bullet first from your post lol
You are correct we can never eliminate poverty but the best way to fight poverty is not charity. Its jobs. This unlimited charity we have now, is killing the economy. This welfare state we have created is creating more and more poverty, it punishes those who want to achieve and creates an excuse ridden society ready to bow down to the government than to do life on their own.