Please enlighten me on "Entitlement" programs.....

As I see our society fastly crumbling into a society based on the mob rule mentality, I am quite puzzled by the arguements I see put forth on ATS concerning Medicare as an entitlement program that is destroying our economy and is the woes of our financial armageddon in the US..

Now you see, as I understand the word "entitlement" is that it is a program or something that someone payed into, thus as this "entitlement" is needed, that those people who payed into it and are eligable receive what they payed into. Yet, I see the majority of the folks on ATS referring to Medicare as if the people who receive it are getting it for free. Let me say, I understand how many of you think of it this way, because that is how the talking heads of the MSM portray it to us.

Grrrrrrr, damn these people who are receiving "Entitlements" that's the reason our country is in an economic and financial mess!!!! Really?

So using this logic, is your car insurance not also an entitlement program? How about your life insurance policy? You payed into it right? Do you or do you not think you deserve the benefits of what you payed into if you die or you have a car accident?

Question? WHO DO YOU KNOW THAT IS ON MEDICARE that is getting it FOR FREE? Most people (elderly) that I know have payed into it and still are! My parents also pay over $400 a month, just so they can go to the doctors of their choosings and get help with their monthly medicinal chest of drugs to keep them alive. (Yes, they are in their late 70's and need blood pressure pills, diabetes.....etc etc)

How many of you on the right have bashed the Affordable Health Care Act for the fact that the elderly are going to get screwed, but yet you bash Medicare because it is an ENTITLEMENT PROGRAM???

Ok, I understand, our country is broke, I get it! But, why the cowardice in your political tactics to attack the victims instead of going after the criminals?? I don't care if you are "blue" or "red"! I am color blind!

What happened to our humanity when we have fallen so bad and been beaten into the ground that we attack those who can't defend themselves but yet cower behind our doors when it comes to setting the record straight and holding the criminals accountable for their crimes?

Can't you guys see the writing on the wall? Sure, let's deny the elderly their healthcare so that they die, do you really think the government is going to be satisfied if Medicare is dissolved? What's next?
We are feeding a monster that's hunger for power and wealth will never stop until they have sucked ALL OF US dry!

Stop believing what you are told by the MSM and take a look around you! When you go to a bar to have a drink and sit beside someone and have a pleasureable conversation, do you ask them if they are red/blue? Would it matter if you found that you liked them?

Sorry America! I am sick and tired of those of you who are willing to sacrifice others for your own benefits! This country is broken and unless we act with some compassion for the victims, we all will soon find ourselves next in line!

The Constitution states that we all have the rights of "Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness", before you want to take away the rights of someone else, you damn sure better be just as prepared for someone to take away yours!

I think many don't realize what they even mean by entitlements....that's the beauty of that word. It's loaded. I'm sure it was specifically chosen by a Republican to incite emotion. They don't even realize the vast majority of entitlements are really medicare and social security. Things people pay into, so they really aren't "entitlements."

I don't think they really know what they are saying. They're just brainwashed by Fox News to repeat things....like entitlements need to be cut....and all Fox News tells them is that entitlements are food stamps, government housing, and "Obama Phones." Fun fact about the phones is the program was created by Ronald Regan!

The fact is all of those things fall under discretionary spending...which only accounts for 18% of the budget.... and only a fraction of that 18% is for food stamps. So what people think of when they think "entitlements" is really an extremely small portion of the budget.
Unless I'm mistaken and they really do want to cut funding for our elderly and other people who can't work?

You need to understand that many of the people shouting off about entitlements are simply brainwashed by emotional propaganda.

reply to post by seeker1963


Why don't you go and live in Russia for a few months! Better yet, India!

reply to post by Ghost375


Thanks Ghost! That was my point plus some.....It just shows how the media manipulates words and brainwashes people to believe it is an us versus us scenario, versus an US versus THEM scenario....

Entitlement means you are entitled to whatever it may be. It does NOT MEAN it is free!

reply to post by kurthall

Why don't you go and live in Russia for a few months! Better yet, India!

Can you show some intelligence and explain why you may disagree with what I had to say??? Doubt it....

You must be one of the cowards I mentioned in my OP..

Generalizing democrats as a lazy entitlement class....

Generalizing republicans as racist uneducated evangelicals...'


Neither side does a great job, so they must resort to demonizing the opponent.

I don't understand why people like Romney condemn the poor and the "gifts" they are entitled to. Aren't tax breaks, loopholes, lobbying, rules and regulations only a team of $5000 lawyers can understand gifts?

It seems to me the total value of gifts the rich are entitled to outnumbers the gifts for the poor at least 100 to 1.

But don't entitlements also apply to things like welfare? And how many people on welfare have never paid taxes? To me, and I'm no economics professor, this is problematic.

I have no issue with cutting entitlements to lifetime welfare recipients. However, I do take issue with cutting an entitlement into which hard-working people have paid.

reply to post by chasingbrahman


Good point! Thus my OP. We have allowed the media to taint the word "entitlement"! Welfare is NOT an entitlement program. However, you can say that a lot of people feel "entitled" to receive those benefits?

It is a play on words that is really becoming dangerous. When most people hear entitlement programs mentioned they get all up in arms without thinking that if you payed for it, you should most definately be "entitled" to receive it. But we have allowed the MSM to put a very dangerous spin on very simple word to understand...

reply to post by seeker1963


I thought I'd sensed some shifty word-play in some reports. I really need to stop giving people the benefit of the doubt when it comes to simple definitions of words, clever connotations included.

Call it "welfare," or "entitlements," or "money we really promised to give you, and we owe it to you, and we cross our hearts and hope to die promise to give you," it doesn't matter what the word is.

The problem is we won't have the money to give in the very near future. People can line up at the White House and shout "You promised," all day long, but that doesn't change the fact that the cupboard will be bare.