There’s “government benefits” and then there’s government benefits. Many here, myself included, receive a disability payment from the US Department of Veteran’s Affairs for injuries, wounds, ailments and conditions received as a part of service to the country in uniform. Others get the military retirement they worked for 20 or 30 years to become vested in. Still others get the Social Security retirement they contributed to during their working lives. I do not equate the above with TANF, SNAP, SSDI, unemployment insurance, worker’s compensation, Section 8 or the like, do you?
I’m with you, 2ndDivisionVet. There are definitely different kinds of government payments, but some people put all the benefits into one basket. That gives them the ability to say over 50% receive benefits. While that is a terribly high percentage, it doesn’t reveal the different kinds of benefits.
Military veterans, for example, earn their benefits by serving the country. The “benefits” are payment for service rendered. Then you have people who receive Social Security benefits after contributing to the program for decades. I do not equate the above beneficiaries with those who receive handouts simply for being born or sneaking into the country. There are even some Social Security payouts to people who have never contributed to the program. Again, that is a completely different matter than those Americans who contributed for decades and now deserve what was promised.
To them, there is no "earned it" if they think they have to pay for part of it. They do not care how much we paid into it with years of income, blood, whatever.
All they care about is getting out from under it.
SS, if you live to be 80 you will probably take out far more than you put in. Of course if you had conservatively invested that money you would be much better off.
Point is - there’s no lockbox or anything where your contributions were saved. They spent it all.
The money that goes to pay for your benefits come straight from the government, which gets it from an ever-shrinking number of working taxpayers. Whatever you “contributed”, it’s effectively a government benefit that can be changed at the whim of politicians and the general public.
It’s not your private property. It’s not “yours”. It’s a government entitlement that is as hollow a promise as every other political promise that’s going to go belly up as the US economy continues to decline and the government runs out of other people’s money.
Happy Dependence Day!
One very important distinction about Social Security. From day one, the money taken from employees and employers to fund the program was in no way a “contribution.” It was and is a TAX. It is SEIZED at the point of a gun.
There is no “contribute” to it.
I see it in the basic form, there’s benefits you earn and ones you don’t.
Thank you for clearing that up so succinctly!
I wish they would have a percentage for the the “entitlements” figure, as opposed to earned benefits...
but then, “what difference, at this point, does it make?”
i WOULD LIKE TO SEE...A list of percentages of entitlements. numbers who have dropped out of work force,actual unemployed stat, and the actual percentage of inflation ( with food and gas included), and number who serve in our military and number of women who have children who are not married ( and number of their children).
THEN RUN THE LIST FOR THE LAST 50 YEARS.
Veterans pensions..... not the same as other benefits (entitlements).
But SocSec is not that. It is a redistribution, goverment enrichment and populace control program. Nothing more or less. We all get sucked into supporting it because “I paid into it”.
once you are getting it, and then told it'll be reduced, look for the howling from the people....look for the protests....lool for the "poor me's"....
its just natural..human nature...to want stuff no matter what the cost to the rest of the nation...
my husband receives a pension guarentee check...not much...and an air guard retirement check...soon he'll get a SS check....then I'll get mine.....
lets face it....WE'RE INVESTED in the crooked govt. like it or not...
Veteran’s benefits such as disability and retirement benefits are not in the same “bucket” as payments to the FSA (Free Shit Army).
These benefits are for service to our country.
Payments to the FSA are direct ransom payments by the productive to the worthless to keep them drugged, fed and housed in the slums in which they congregate.
“Still others get the Social Security retirement they contributed to during their working lives. I do not equate the above with TANF, SNAP, SSDI, unemployment insurance, worker’s compensation, Section 8 or the like, do you?”
Depends. Those with low paying jobs that are getting Social Security are subsidized by those that paid in the max and will never get all their money back. This doesn’t even include their employer’s contribution. It is socialized security.
yes, not all benefits are the same thing.
I do. Its still welfare paid for by the young, not anything you “paid” into
I’m only just receiving SSD for a profound disability, after having worked for over 35 years & “contributing” nearly a quarter-million dollars in the process ... The break-even point based on the monthly receipts would be about 9 years – if I’m graced to live that long. So I’m well past the point of feeling any so-called “guilt” for getting this benefit.
What those running the show now want to do is to paint every recipient with the same brush, and particularly for the low-information crowd to remember WHO it was that started this gravy train 80 years ago.
Many ppl get benefits thru reduction in their phone bills, electric and gas bills as well,for ppl requiring a medical reduction in their electric bill, for low income ppl, a lot of seniors do..school free lunches, reduced prices, are probably counted, it is a government hand out, thee are many little hand outs ppl do not think aabout besides the major ones..