Entitlements

[Pharaoh]

Why do even the Democrats call Social Security and Medicare entitlements???

It pisses me off to no end to why no one ever points that out.

These are not entitlements, They are programs which we have paid into all our lives. That's why they where set up. Social security is a trillion dollars or more in the black. But since the repubs mostly have been spending our retirement on the mic,tax cuts for the rich and no taxes for corporations, WTF, where the fuck is any media pointing this out? :wtf:

[emulatorloo]

1. That is why we are entitled to them, we payed for them

I can't help it that the Republican Noise Machine redefined the word to make it sound like a handout, That is the kind of shit they do.

The media is awful. The just repeat what the Republicans say without fact checking or challenging them. Because that would be "liberal bias"

[Pharaoh]

2. Just like they made the word Liberal

to mean you were a god hating baby killing homosexual!

[emulatorloo]

3. and don't forget Nazi Communist.

I really share your frustration. Outside of a handful of shows on MSNBC, no body does any hard reporting on what the Republican proposals actually amount to. They just seem to take everything they say at face value. Maybe here and there you will see a spark.

[Pharaoh]

7. They are news readers

They do not actually Journalism or investigating reporting, they just read what has been prepared for them in the MSM, but yes, there are sources as Rachel, Democracy now, Thom Hartman and others, plus the internet. But so many are still so tuned in to the Tevee that they are kind of vegetative.

[jp11]

4. They accept the republican narrative, names, etc. Often too weak/cowardly/serving overlords

to bother correcting these things or explain them.

[handmade34]

5. Proper definition

"...entitlement is a guarantee of access to benefits based on established rights or by legislation." or "...government program providing benefits to members of a specified group; also: funds supporting or distributed by such a program"

as opposed to general definition which causes confusion... "...belief that one is deserving of or entitled to certain privileges"

it is understandable that people don't acknowledge this because it is such a heated issue with high emotions...

[underpants]

6. In 1992 Perot pointed out that most entitlements (at the time) go to corporations

and the phrase went away for a while. Get yourself a black President and "entitlements" ;-) crops back up

[louslobbs]

8. They are Earned Benefits, not "entitlements", people pay out of their paychecks for years for these

"Benefits"........"Earned Benefits" Entitlements go to the rich in tax cuts bonuses from their pals in government and oil subsidies are an entitlement. Medicare, Medicaid, Socical Security and Unemployment benefits are all Earned Benefits.
LOu

[Zanzoobar]

9. It's a tax. Like it or not it's a tax.

Taxes can be free distributed as seen fit by the power brokers.

[RC]

10. They are taxes for certain benefits, they are not general taxes.

Certain Earned Benefits, that we worked hard for.

[Zanzoobar]

11. Taxes nonetheless.

[Lyric]

12. Because they ARE entitlement programs.

In government use, "entitlement" means that the government is REQUIRED to pay it. It means that funding for entitlement programs can never be budgeted away idly or directed elsewhere. Those funds HAVE to be paid because the citizens are ENTITLED to them even if it's a financial inconvenience for the government.

There is nothing wrong with the word "entitlement". What's WRONG is that we have allowed (and KEEP allowing) the right-wing morons to redefine good words like entitlement and liberal. Thanks to them, "entitlement" has become a synonym for "welfare", which is even MORE ironic when you consider that welfare is NOT an entitlement program.