That was the whole idea politically. To convince a large segment of voters that they will get something at someone else’s expense. Social security and medicare are great examples.
BTW : Obama has a bipartision debt commission setup to recommend that OUR future social security and medicare benefits be cut. But don't worry, those really getting the free Obama-care wont be having their medicare and social security benefits being cut, being the cuts will be means tested. And there will be NO cuts in our payroll taxes.
Democrats create a new entitlement only to cut some of us off of our last ones that we were promised was cut in stone when they taxed us for it. Good news: federal government employee pensions will not be affected. They are the golden calve.
Respectfully disagree. We paid into them all of our working lives in expectation of a return on our "investment". They are, however, a great example of every ill from government mismanagement to outright theft!