To: SkyPilot
Please explain how, since i have contributed yearly since 1968, social security is an entitlement.
25 posted on
11/19/2012 9:24:05 AM PST by
wtc911
(Amigo - you've been had.)
To: wtc911
First, the definition of "entitlement program" appears to be widely misunderstood; second, many also don't understand the math behind Social Security and Medicare. On the first point: While "entitlement program" has become a pejorative phrase in some circles, with the insinuation that people are getting something they didn't earn, it's really just a term for any government program guaranteeing certain benefits to a segment of the population. In short, it has nothing to do with whether recipients are deserving, nor it is linked to a cost-benefit analysis on taxes paid versus benefits received. That bring us to the second point: Social Security and Medicare are not just entitlement programs, they also are very much an example of redistribution. Sure, American workers pay a specific tax to fund the Social Security and Medicare systems, and Social Security benefits are correlated to work history and earnings. But especially when Medicare is taken into account, most senior citizens end up receiving more in Social Security and Medicare benefits than they paid into the system during their working years. I absolutely empathize with the difference of morality on this issue. To wit - there is a vast moral distinction between Social Security benefits earned by those who paid payroll taxes during their working years vs. those Social Security Disability, direct welfare payments, EBT Food Stamps, Section 8 Housing, Aid to Families With Dependent Children, etc.
However, that does not negate the fact that Social Security is still an entitlement by both definition and by law.
26 posted on
11/19/2012 10:12:20 AM PST by
SkyPilot
To: wtc911
The money you “contributed” was spent as soon as it was received. It has been clearly defined as a tax by the US Supreme Court. Under that ruling you have no legal right to any benefit other than whatever Congress votes to give you. Congress can change or eliminate the benefit at its whim.
28 posted on
11/19/2012 10:23:50 AM PST by
Go_Raiders
(The wrong smoke detector might just kill you - http://www.theworldfiresafetyfoundation.org)
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