So you think we should tax the rich to pay for all of this huh?

Your thinking is strange to me.
Let’s explore this from another angle:

So you’re a straight A student in High School.  You’ve worked hard to get these grades.  You didn’t cheat, and although some do, most good students don’t.  Maybe you’re smarter than the other students not getting good grades. Maybe you work harder.  Maybe it’s a little of both.

Your friend Terry is a good person, but doesn’t do her homework.

Your friend John is a good person and although he isn’t terribly bright, he works hard.

Your friend Linda is a cheater.  She breaks into the school’s computer system and changes her grades.  She gets caught often.

One day, your principal calls all of the 4.0 GPA students into his office.  Out of the 1000 students in your school, there are only 35 of you in this category.  She explains that the other 965 students in the school are in need of some assistance, so the school is going to start skimming .5 of your GPA and giving it to the other students.

After all, the other students really need it, and you have GPA to spare, so it doesn’t really hurt you much.

Terry, John and Linda need your help right?  You’re the smart one, why don’t you pitch in?

It doesn’t seem very fair in this case does it?

And no, it’s not different with money, so come up with a different argument there. This is a point about fairness, not survival.  Very few Americans are fighting to SURVIVE anyway.  Let’s be honest, most who are “struggling” are trying to keep the 200 channel cable instead of the 30 channel cable and to pay off those credit cards they ran up to buy all of that crap they didn’t really need.

If you’re fighting to SURVIVE, I’m happy to help (I don’t happen to be rich at the present time, but I’m SURVIVING just fine).  If you’re fighting to keep AT+T from turning off your cell phone, well, sorry.  It’s just a damn cell phone.  I love my cell phone, but I don’t NEED it, and neither do you.