You're right, it's an assumption.
For example If I see a grown man over the age of 25 in America with no money in his pocket, no money in his bank account, and no job or regular income... I'm going to assume his priorities are out of order.
Now if someone's priorities are out of order, that falls on the people that raised him... not the government.
Poverty is a complex subject. Seeing that most Americans are about three missed paychecks away from poverty at any given time, it's not always a matter of "laziness/priorities".
It seems your thoughts on economic opportunity don't allow for someone in this country to work hard and not be successful. It happens all the time.