Perils Of The Entitlement State And Our Decadent Democracy

Investor's Business Daily ^ | 1/2/12 | George F. Will

[jimt]

Connoisseurs of democratic decadence can savor a variety of contemporary dystopias.

Because familiarity breeds banality, Greece has become a boring horror. Japan, however, in its second generation of stagnation, is fascinating. Once, Japan bestrode the world, jauntily buying Rockefeller Center and Pebble Beach. Now Japanese buy more adult diapers than those for infants.

America has its lowest birth rate since at least 1920 — family formation and workforce participation (which last year hit a 30-year low) have declined in tandem. But it has an energy surplus, the government-produced overhang of housing inventory is shrinking and the average age of Americans' cars is an astonishing 10.8 years.

Such promising economic indicators, however, mask America's democratic decadence, as explained by the Hudson Institute's Christopher DeMuth in the Dec. 24 Weekly Standard:

Deficit spending once was largely for investments — building infrastructure, winning wars — which benefited future generations, so government borrowing appropriately shared the burden with those generations.

[jimt]

Before shafting Grandma, who PAID into Social Security and Medicare ALL HER LIFE, how about cutting off the illegals and other freeloaders who are milking the system after giving NOTHING ????

Talk to me about Social Security and Medicare AFTER THE FREELOADERS are divested of their "entitlements" - not before.

[Wolfie]

I agree with your sentiment, but the fact is Grandma’s money is gone. Now that’s a crime in my book, but not in the eyes of the law, but there it is. Cutting off the freeloaders and illegals who paid nothing into the system (where it would have been spent on other things anyway) would be a good start, but I wonder if it would save enough to keep the benefits of those who worked for it at the level they were promised. As far as SS and Medicare being “entitlements”, I object to that term anyway, or at least as it’s being used in this case.

In any event, all Ponzi schemes collapse eventually, even those run at the point of a gun.

[Gabrial]

Here are some quotes from the article:

“...continuous borrowing burdens future generations in order to finance current consumption...”

“America's political system “cannot govern the entitlement state” that “exists largely to provide material benefits to individuals.””

“Hence, although Republicans are complicit, Democrats are ardent in embracing decadent democracy. This consists not just of infantilism — refusing to will the means for the ends one has willed — but of willing an immoral means: conscripting the wealth of future generations.”

That pretty much sums it up. There is no way this era of decadent entitlement will end well.

[LucianOfSamasota]

There is no way this era of decadent entitlement will end well.

But it will end. And BHO hastens that outcome.

[indthkr]

Professor Obvious bump for later....

[oust the louse]

I see now why this administration wants to confiscate as many guns as possible. They are doing their darnedest to make us despise them all to extinction. Fiscal cliff, spiraling debts, out of control spending... 4 more years of fundamentally transforming America.