Some states are too poor to effectively fund and maintain their own safety nets. It's common for folks laid off in these states to get a dubious mental health diagnosis to justify SSDI, because doctors know they have no prospects and could well become homeless without it.
These states may be fundamentally too resource poor to effectively maintain their populations. So collectively we agreed that richer states should subsidize them, because no one wants to see their neighbors suffer unnecessarily. And in the hope that newer generations may invent or unlock other resources to break the cycles of poverty.
My fear is that many of these states are locked in a bubble of lies, a culture that longs for an imaginary and idealized past that never existed. That they'll continue raising generations of people who think they need to be an independent, 'rudged' individualist when that's never been possible anywhere. And once they fail they'll settle for punching down on people different than them.
I've lived in northern and southern states for years. Was raised (very) evangelical Christian and left that behind, yet still have family deep inside. My bubble has been thoroughly popped. Still I have to witness the descent of friends and family members into fantasy as they age and become more isolated by circumstance and their media choices. College educated people who now tell me the Earth is probably flat, 9/11 was probably an inside job, J6 was just some over eager tourists.
