It sounds like you're upset that picking up extra work to supplement your welfare income could get you kicked off the program. This isn't an issue exclusive to Maine. In this country, the very lowest and very highest incomes are subsidized by government welfare. You feel trapped, but by stepping out and earning a bit more, you will enter the "middle class" whereupon you are removed from the government teet and thrown to the wolves.

A welfare check may not seem like much, but when you consider how much cost of living expenses have risen, the housing, healthcare, energy and food subsidies often leave recipients better off than their neighbors in entry level jobs. And all you have to do is sign up. There's no waking up early or dealing with disgruntled bosses, just collecting a check and chasing your creative, self-made moonshot.