Entitlements

[WTJ]

It seems like SSI/disability, medicare, medicade, VA benefits and maybe welfare are not entitlements but are social insurance programs.

Entitlements are like subsidy programs, such as paying a farmer for not growing something, or paying oil companies to research new technology, or pharmacies to research dieseases.

So politicians are reframing the idea of what entitlements are. That means a cut to ENTITLEMENTS are going to affect, children, the poor, the old, the disabled, the veterans.

Subsidy spending, however, will not be affected. Because subsidys have lobbiest working for their intrest. Subsidys wont be cut because we need subsidys, politicians never say they'll cut subsidys. But thats what needs to be cut.

Both parties are guilty of reframing entitlement ideas, so the BUZZ WORD of the ENTITLEMENT CROWD means cutting the programs the benefit those people who need it, while staying silent on subsidys.

Pay close attention to the mass media talking heads, the leaders of both political parties as well as Romney and Obama. Listen close and you will hear rhetoric about ENTITLEMENT cuts. They're comming after Medicare, SSI, Disability, VA benefits and welfare programs.

Uh, no. Subsidies are subsidies. What we pay into is not an entitlement until those who didn't pay in are allowed to gain payouts. VA benefits are contractual and earned. Welfare is absolutely an entitlement in nearly all cases. Grants are an entitlement. Tax deductions are entitlements. Progressive taxes are designed to create entitlements. And so on....

 

[Lurker66]

Uh, no. Subsidies are subsidies. What we pay into is not an entitlement until those who didn't pay in are allowed to gain payouts. VA benefits are contractual and earned. Welfare is absolutely an entitlement in nearly all cases. Grants are an entitlement. Tax deductions are entitlements. Progressive taxes are designed to create entitlements. And so on....

name some social programs that you consider entitlements. Welfare, Medicare, SS, Disability, VA benefits. These are entitlements. We pay into them, we pay for them. You would be surprised at the number of people who fall into the VA benefits web. Kids, wives, ex wives, grand children.

 

[BikerHT]

Has noone read been's signature? He's entitled to it all! lol

 

[Lurker66]

HA! been hasta pay for our entitlements. Ha!

 

[tbirch]

A man who works for a pay check should be entitled to keep his money. A man who does not work should not be entitled to the working man's money.

Agreed ^

 

[Lurkerinthewoods]

I believe unemployment is paid from witholdings the employer must set aside in a fund with the state.

That was true when unemployment lasted for 26 weeks. Now that Obama has made it possible to stay unemployed for almost 2 years (being cut back to a measly 73 weeks), that extra money was paid by the tax payers from both federal and state taxes.

 

[soonersfan]

Anything provided to you at the expense of others, and that you did nothing to earn.

I agree with this definition and I am all for eliminating most of them. I do not agree with Medicare, SS, etc., but the people who have paid in should receive their benefits. There should be a plan to phase these programs out for people who have not started paying in. The primary issue with these programs is that it enables the government to take more of our earnings. Since the government is run by politicians, it is always a bad idea for them to take more of our earnings as it they will rarely use the money for what we were told it would be used for. I've said before, at the age of 37 I would gladly relinquish my benefits from any of these programs if I could be released from having to pay any more into them. I believe I will make much more responsible decisions about how to invest my money than a politician will.

 

[WTJ]

I agree with this definition and I am all for eliminating most of them. I do not agree with Medicare, SS, etc., but the people who have paid in should receive their benefits. There should be a plan to phase these programs out for people who have not started paying in. The primary issue with these programs is that it enables the government to take more of our earnings. Since the government is run by politicians, it is always a bad idea for them to take more of our earnings as it they will rarely use the money for what we were told it would be used for. I've said before, at the age of 37 I would gladly relinquish my benefits from any of these programs if I could be released from having to pay any more into them. I believe I will make much more responsible decisions about how to invest my money than a politician will.

I concur. However, to realign, reduce, or eliminate SS, Medicare, or the multitude of "Payee" programs would cause a complete collapse of the system. Thousands of people who paid 10USD a month into the system 40 or 50 years ago would revolt at the loss of their 'Garunteed Guvmint Retirement' and this would cost someone some votes. The pols must not touch the modern version of the Arc of the Covenant lest they be smote by the Village Elders.

Is this the Village Elders fault? No. They were promised an incredible return on their investment, regardless of the fact that Ponzi schemes are illegal for everyone but the .gov. The .gov may have even gotten away with it, had it not been for the fact that life expectancy increased and the .gov used the money to fund even moar 'entitlements'. The actual .gov definition adds to my earlier statement the phrase "and which is used to buy votes and influence."