Yeah the idea that the US (and state, and local) government hates the poor doesn't stand up to any serious scrutiny. Sometimes it is inefficient, sometimes it is difficult to navigate, sometimes conservative governments will screw with one program or two on purpose, sure. But the idea that there is no help available is downright laughable.
America (
Americans) certainly doesn't hate the poor but they sure as heck don't want to deal with them.
My and my wife's families are, generally, conservative and all at least middle class, and there's a real-deal resentment and disgust toward those who are receiving government benefits.
While the poor aren't hated, they aren't exactly welcomed with open arms either. Many would rather them be someone else's problem.
And while we do have a whole stable of social safety net programs, many are laughably underfunded and unrealistically difficult to navigate.
Arcane and arbitrary zoning, the war on drugs, the housing crisis, police attitudes toward homeless and toward minorities, mass incarceration, the lack of real mental health support, the cost of healthcare, and other policies and attitudes have created a whole class of people who are perpetually stuck oscillating in and out of poverty.
None of these things are issues that a good majority of people want to address, so we may not hate the poor but we sure as shit neglect the poor.
