Yes, entitlements need to be cut, but how? Once you create that dependence cycle, it’s like taking away a crackhead’s crack - he’ll do ANYTHING to get it back.
Considering that a disproportionate percentage of people outside the 65+ SS recipient class are of a mindset that is more statistically likely to commit violent crimes, what are we going to do with 20 million hungry people who have a lower-than-average resistance to robbing, stealing, and shooting their way to prosperity?
If Congress and the President followed Congressman Paul Ryan's plan, there would at least be hope - and that doesn't even call for current entitlement cuts!
I would reduce spending on entitlements by 2% for current recipients for the next 5 years, raise the retirement age to 68, and stop paying any entitlements to illegals. That alone would balance the budget in about seven years without doing anything else, including no tax increases.
But - like you said, it won't happen.
Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) has it right - the government has decided people will still get "their checks"; but they won't buy anything. The reason is that our government has decided to take the path to hyperinflation, and we are well down that road already.
But it gets worse. Much worse.
Now that we have lost our AAA rating, the annual interest we pay on that soon to be $15 Trillion debt will be higher. Much higher. That will eat up even more of the budget. How much?
No one is sure. We are now in uncharted waters.
It could go as high as 4 x the current payments.
Very soon, our nation could be in a crisis almost overnight.
And....we can thank the entitlement mentality for taking us to Hell itself.