Believe it or not travelover I agree with you 100%. Let me clarify my position....
Charity = Good
Forced Charity = Bad
If people want to contribute to help these problems through various religious or other groups. I think that is great. There will always be a segment of our society that needs help, and there will always be those, including myself, that will be willing to help out.
But when the govt FORCES you to do things of that nature, I believe it to be bad, and destructive.
When I go to the local McDonalds, I order a Big Mac because I choose to. It would be a very different matter if I was forced by the govt to order a Big Mac at a McDonald's because they claim it helps "society" or that the workers their NEED to be paid, therefore I am obligated to eat there. This is really the only problem that I have with it, the issue of forced vs. voluntary contribution.