In the other countries, these benefit programs are universal. The tax benefits don't diminish as people earn more. In Canada, you may recall that there were family allowances up until the early 1990s. Everyone received $20 and that amount was not reduced. A decision was made to distribute this money differently and to add more. Those who don't have a lot of money receive more, and those who are richer receive less, if any at all. That is completely acceptable. The problem arises when everything is reduced, but taxes increase and tax benefits diminish. That's when the tax burden on each additional dollar becomes very high.
On October 16th, 2012. See this statement in context.