Yep, does appear that way rather often, it might be the human condition to think we're getting shafted all the time, or you and I might just have been unlucky.
A lot of it seems to stem from being honest and working hard. Take a flat I rented with a workmate; about a year ago he vanished from the face of the earth (leaving his job too) about a month before the 6 month rent agreement was up for renewal. Turns out he didn't pay the month before this either. So I am now left with 2 months of his rent to pay (almost £600) if I don't want to be hounded for it in the future. When we moved in we decided that we would each handle the admin of 2/4 bills and share the cost of all bills 50:50, he had Water and Electricity, turns out he never paid either. If I was being completely honest, I'd have paid these as well, I am liable for these bills. But he never put my name on the services.
Starting work is another thing, when I take a graduate role somewhere; accounting for income tax, my car, a flat, food, utility bills and council tax, I will have very little left to spend or save. But - not wanting to sound like the Daily Mail here - a portion of what I pay towards these things is going to people who don't want to work, and are given enough money to go out drinking quite often, and to benefits cheats. I don't mind paying a disabled person to live in a flat, and I don't mind paying the people who take out jobseekers allowance, who do actually seek jobs rather than turning down opportunities they just don't like. People who are just plain unemployable are an interesting problem, I think they should be off benefits and out in the fields picking onions like thousands of people attempt to sneak into the country to do.