The welfare system should be a safety net for people, not a lifestyle choice.
It's morally and fundamentally wrong that someone who could work but refuses to do so should be better off, not only in financial terms but also in terms of a general quality of life, than someone who is prepared to work.
It certainly needs to be reformed but doing so will be massively complicated to implement.
The Welfare System is exactly what you say at the start, a safety net and it is paid for in the same way as everyone pays for their safety nets, by insurance.
National Insurance, which is exactly the same as any other insurance such as home insurance, car insurance or travel insurance they are grudgingly paid but you also hope that you never have to claim on them. But if you have to then it should give you a reasonable standard of life ..........unfortunately that is not the case, however watching all the propaganda Benefits programmes on tv you would incorrectly assume that anyone on benefits lives the Life of Riley. Yes there are some benefits cheats who are claiming while either earning other monies or have income from criminal activities.
So, National Insurance has similar problems that Home Insurance, Car Insurance and Travel Insurance.....False Claims ! but that does not mean the majority of claimants are falsely claiming or stretching the truth just as with those other insurances.
However, targets had to be found that the ordinary working person could pick on to deflect from the real money draining problems of the Bankers and the Multinational Tax Dodgers.
Those who have had to claim or are now claiming will realise that life is difficult on Benefits and they will realise just how short the distance is from having a comfortable working life to the tragedy of life on the dole.
Don't judge by the selective few that these Benefits programmes manage to dig up, for each one of those there are hundreds of other genuine cases who are struggling to get by.