I’ve been complaining to friends for a while that it seems like many people don’t understand what “entitlements” are. Many people seem to think that entitlements are solely welfare and similar programs. They don’t understand that America’s biggest entitlement burdens are social security and Medicare.
This letter to the editor in Sunday’s Clarion-Ledger confirmed my suspicion:
Apparently this is it. It seems, the greatest country in the history is about to fall. Just at the pinnacle of its greatness, America is nearing collapse because we are giving it all away.
Shocking reports reveal that more than 50 percent of Americans are receiving entitlements. I could understand 10 percent because, rightfully so, Americans should be sensitive to the underprivileged, and infirm, but there can be no doubt the 50 percent includes the lazy and the deadbeats as well.
When did it become a source of pride to receive entitlements? In the old days, people hid the fact that they needed government assistance. The stigma of the freeloader has been removed and the government has gone to a welfare credit card.
Liberals decry that conservatives are trying to make the word entitlement a dirty word. What solution is offered by the liberals? To attack the most productive citizens in America.
In my mind, entitlements is a dirty word, and as a working middle-class, conservative who never received any entitlement whatsoever. my opinion is that many of that 50 percent have contributed nothing to the system, and, therefore, are entitled to nothing.
This guy clearly does not understand that entitlements include social security and Medicare. But even if he did get it, he would still be wrong because these programs aren’t “giving it away.” You have to pay into the system in order to qualify.
The following chart shows U.S. budget expenditures for 2010:
The C-L letter writer thinks that “entitlements” are only the 16% orange category of this chart. But 42% of the budget is social security and Medicare. The following chart shows the projections for these costs:
If you are a “working middle-class conservative”, the entitlements of social security and Medicare are not “dirty words.” They are programs that you have paid into that will provide retirement benefits and access to health care when you are old.
How much do you want to bet that the man who wrote this letter receives entitlements?
One thing this guy does get right is that America’s future entitlement obligations are a huge problem. To be blunt, they can’t be met. Especially with the Country spending trillions of dollars serving as the world’s policeman. And, not coincidentally, sustaining a huge defense budget that makes defense contractors rich. Some would even say that making select companies money was the primary reason for America’s war in Iraq.
Entitlements are a huge issue that impact everyone. America must address the issue by, among other things, drastically cutting the defense budget. But the first step in the process should be educating people like this guy what entitlement are.