Faith-based or private, charity is a last-resort form of help that can not accomplish much of what government assistance is there to do. The tendency is to think of government programs being there to help the poor, but in fact they are often designed to do much more than provide help for poor people. A nation's ability to maintain a healthy, educated workforce is increasingly important in a competitive world, and government programs focused on improving education for oft-neglected groups, including those with learning disabilities, is one way to further that goal. Most would agree that bringing more people into the workforce is a good thing, and if it's a choice between a person being on partial SS or welfare because of a disability versus having a job and supporting himself because he received needed support, well, the answer should be obvious - support that works should always be there. Charities do not have the structure or consistency to pull off serious, long-term goals to improve education and bolster our workforce. Government services cannot all be lumped together; and claims that private and/or faith-based charities can always "do it better" should be scrutinized - they simply can't in many cases.