[excon]

Hello:

(1) Entitlements: We PAID for 'em, that's why we're ENTITLED to them...

(2) Entitlements: We're arrogant and spoiled believing we're ENTITLED to live off somebody else.

Which is it?

excon

[smoothy]

Its #2. BECAUSE most of the recipients that cry the loudest... are those that paid nothing or little towards their cost. And the mindset of a growing percentage of people that feel they are entitled to stuff OTHER people are expected to pay for, as long as its not them.

[excon]

Hello again, smoothy:

I'm a believer in the notion that a deal is a deal. When the government TOOK money out of my paycheck, they TOLD me that in exchange for my money NOW, I would receive a monthly stipend for the rest of my life when I retire.

I did my end. Why shouldn't I hold them to theirs? Aren't I ENTITLED to get what I paid for?

excon

[joypulv]

Is this because of all the warnings about SS running out of money?
I always wonder about 2 widely different stories I hear.
One is that SS is running out of money.
The other is that SS on paper has tons of money, but has a drawer full of IOUs from other gov't agencies who have been borrowing for decades. How the heck is that allowed, and who allowed it?

[excon]

I always wonder about 2 widely different stories I hear.
One is that SS is running out of money.

Hello j:

It IS running out of money, but NOT in the short term. Medicare and Medicaid are the programs that are exploding.

excon

[smoothy]

Hello again, smoothy:

I'm a believer in the notion that a deal is a deal. When the government TOOK money out of my paycheck, they TOLD me that in exchange for my money NOW, I would receive a monthly stipend for the rest of my life when I retire.

I did my end. Why shouldn't I hold them to theirs? Aren't I ENTITLED to get what I paid for?

excon

And THAT is because the liberals have given OUR SSI money to illegals and Immigrants that never contributed... to fat lazy people that won't lose weight and get a job... that never contributed much if anything to SSI. To pay for kids of deadbeats that never contributed to SSI.


However SSI is hardly the only entitlement out there... and its mostly those that I was referring to. You didn't specify SSI alone by name in your thread.

And as far as SSI is concerned... I will agree... we paid for it our entire working lives... as much as 14% of our paycheck... and that's 14% we didn't have to put towards our own retirement savings. And that's NOT an insignificant amount. My gripe is that we that paid for it won't get it because they have been giving all the money to those who have never earned it or contributed much to it.

I am concernd dabout that... but I am livid about the other handouts the government gives to the 45% of the population that pay no federal taxes already... yet leach off the 55% who do pay by sucking the public teet dry leaving nothing for our own when we need it.

And that's the root of the problemn with entitlements... they always end up going to people that don't deserve them in exchange for a promise of a vote. Thus the root of the classic Liberal policy of "Spreading the wealth" by taking from and punishing the productive members of society to reward the unproductive members for their poor choices.

[joypulv]

Medicare = entitlement insurance you paid into
Medicaid = freebie
Right?
Of course some people will collect a lot more than they put in, either from SSD or retirement. Why do we all have to keep living longer and longer anyway? I sure don't like this idea of being almost dead for the last 10 years of my life, or even busting my butt to live longer. The next generation is here for a reason: to replace us.
I remember my grandparents feeling guilty at receiving SS retirement exactly when it started and they never paid a dime.
And what about those IOUs? Is that story true, and with everyone broke, how will they pay SS back?

[excon]

However SSI is hardly the only entitlement out there....and its mostly those that I was reffering to. You didn't specify SSI alone by name in your thread.

Hello again, smoothy:

I didn't think I needed to. All government giveaways are NOT entitlements. Entitlements are SSI and Medicare. We PAY for those services.

excon

[smoothy]

Hello again, smoothy:

I didn't think I needed to. All government giveaways are NOT entitlements. Entitlements are SSI and Medicare. We PAY for those services.

excon

Tell that to the people that think they are entitled to all the bribes they get for votes... handouts, whatever you want to call them... giving someone something they didn't earn or pay for in exchange for a favor is a bribe.

If the only two entitlements that existed were Medicare and SSI and nobodies going to argue that the people that actually paid into them their entire life aren't entitled to them (only the leeches that didn't), except for certain UBER liberals that think anyone over 250K a year aren't... we wouldn't be in the mess we are in now.

[excon]

If the only two entitlements that existed were Medicare and SSI and nobodies going to argue that the people that actually paid into them their entire life aren't entitled to them

Hello again, smoothy:

Nobody?? NOBODY?? Sorry, dude. There's a few, and they're in YOUR wing. But, I'm glad to hear you're not one of 'em. So, what WOULD you cut that would make a difference?

Me? I'd cut some defense stuff. In fact, SOME defense spending is considered an ENTITLEMENT by some. John Boehner and Eric Cantor want to continue to build the F-35 joint strike fighter, even though the military says they DON'T WANT IT.

So why is Boehner forcing them to take it anyway? It could have something to do with the fact that most of the spare engines are slated to be built just outside of John Boehner's district in Ohio! And Rolls Royce, who gets another huge piece of making this unwanted expensive engine, just built a giant factory in Cantor's district in Virginia.

That looks to ME, like they think THEY'RE entitled. No?

excon

[tomder55]

Entitlements definition #3 ponzi schemes concocted by the government to hook the populace into dependency on the nanny state.

You paid into the scam and the government should honor their commitment. The fact that it's been restructured a number of times tells you the government will not honor it as envisioned.

I would not make any change that would screw the people who have already paid into the system . But I would grandfather Social Security out of existence into a plan where new workers are given choices.

They should also offer a buy out option. I'm more than willing to give up a claim to dependency on the government in exchange for money I've already paid into the system(I'll wave a fair interest rate on my contribution... just give me the principle back and let me decide how to invest it).. and the promise that they won't seize my private funded pension ,IRA, 401k's etc. and place me into a mandatory annunity like they are contemplating .

[tomder55]

Medicare = entitlement insurance you paid into
Medicaid = freebie
Right?
Of course some people will collect a lot more than they put in, either from SSD or retirement. Why do we all have to keep living longer and longer anyway? I sure don't like this idea of being almost dead for the last 10 years of my life, or even busting my butt to live longer. The next generation is here for a reason: to replace us.
I remember my grandparents feeling guilty at receiving SS retirement exactly when it started and they never paid a dime.
And what about those IOUs? Is that story true, and with everyone broke, how will they pay SS back?

Correct... Medicaid is a safetynet program unrelated to the notion of 'entitlement' . It is for the neediest in the country .

Medicare as an entitlement is as much a fraud as SS ,and a template to the failures of single payer ,mandated ,government provided heath care.

[tomder55]

A blast from the past from ET:
https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/curren...er-293241.html

[smoothy]

Hello again, smoothy:

Nobody??? NOBODY??? Sorry, dude. There's a few, and they're in YOUR wing. But, I'm glad to hear you're not one of 'em. So, what WOULD you cut that would make a difference?

Me? I'd cut some defense stuff. In fact, SOME defense spending is considered an ENTITLEMENT by some. John Boehner and Eric Cantor want to continue to build the F-35 joint strike fighter, even though the military says they DON'T WANT IT.

So why is Boehner forcing them to take it anyway? It could have something to do with the fact that most of the spare engines are slated to be built just outside of John Boehner's district in Ohio! And Rolls Royce, who gets another huge piece of making this unwanted expensive engine, just built a giant factory in Cantor's district in Virginia.

That looks to ME, like they think THEY'RE entitled. No?

excon

I wouldn't cut anything in the Defence area... I'd cut ANY support universally for anyone in this country illegally. And I mean everything.

I'd cut 100% of the political paybacks Obama made since he took office... and thus far it has accounted for nearly 4 Trillion dollars to date... and will be far more in the coming years if they aren't eliminated NOW.

How about the HUGE numbers of Federal workers that didn't exist before Obama took office... none of them are productive, they all suck the budget dry.

Funny how the party that was so worried about big brother not so many years ago... has in fact BECOME big brother (on steroids). An Obsessed, controlling, paranoid, vindictive, thieving, extorting... BIG BROTHER.

Funny how there wasn't any mention of all the Democrats pork projects... and there are monumental ones. Many in fact.

[tomder55]

F35 is a pig . It would lose a dog fight with the new Chinese stealth fighter . Better to spend the money on the F22 Raptor . If your looking for a model on budget cutting you could do much worse than using the military BRAC as a model.Where the rest of the government pays lip service to budget cutting the military has done the hard work for years.

Yes nobody is addressing entitlements even though ,as Chuck Todd observed yesterday, Entitlement reform was a key part of the bipartisan Commission recommendations.

What people forget is that this round is still dealing with a budget the last Congress should've passed before the lame duck session. They are only debating a budget that will roughly cover 3/4 of a year if immediately passed.
I believe entitlements will play a greater role in the next budget battle .

[speechlesstx]

Referring to entitlement programs, neither, it just means you have a legal right to whatever financial benefit, good or service distributed by the government. And as tom showed, they have no intention of honoring their commitment - at least as far as giving back what they've taken from us goes. They will however, continue to give someone else what they've taken from me which will lead to more people believing that definition no. 2 is correct.

[excon]

F35 is a pig . It would lose a dog fight with the new Chinese stealth fighter . Better to spend the money on the F22 Raptor .

Hello again, tom:

Then you'd agree that John Boehner thinks building this dog IS an entitlement for the people in HIS district, even though I'M paying for it... Wouldn't the hated bullet trains, be a better investment?

excon

[tomder55]

It's not an either or. Both are bad ideas .But Boeing would benefit greatly under my plan

[excon]

It's not an either or. Both are bad ideas .But Boeing would benefit greatly under my plan

Hello again, tom:

I don't work for Boeing either. But, the PLAN I have in mind, is to build war materials that help us WIN wars - not to keep people employed.

That's just me.

excon

[tomder55]

Me too. That is why after a comparative study I have been in favor of building a fleet of Raptors instead of the F-35 Joint Strike force figher.

US ground troops have not been a target from the sky by enemy air forces since Korea and I don't want to see that again. That is also one of the reasons I favor our continued exploration and colonization of space.