Actually, I will tell you that I believe there is a distinction between "earned" entitlements and blatant "unearned" entitlements.
Let's start with the the most unjust and worst offenders. Social Security Disability is funded by the same pot of money that funds the Social Security General fund.
FOX News ran this story yesterday. The SS fund will may have to decrease payments to everyone in a very short because there are so many people on "disability" and because this country has less workers paying the payroll taxes.
Social Security's disability trust fund could fail to cover all benefits early as 2016
5.4 Million people went on "disability" under Obama, and that number increases by thousands every day. When their unemployment ran out after 99 weeks, they hired a slime ball lawyer and robbed you and me.
As President Lincoln once famously said regarding jobs in cabinet vs. number of people who wanted a high ranking position: "There's too many pigs for the tits." That is our entitlement problem.
Want to be outraged more? A very popular scam among immigrant families is well known among the population. If you are the son or daughter of illegals, and you were born here, you get US citizenship. You then are an "anchor" baby and you serve to keep your illegal parents (and uncles, aunts, etc) here in the US. When they get old, they "want" the same SS you are getting. But they didn't pay those payroll taxes. How to get the $? Easy. They go on SSDI. I am not joking.
Next, let's move on to the Earned Income Tax Credit. This is nothing but a scam that Clinton pulled to "give" away huge tax refunds to "low income" Democrat voters who pay no Federal income taxes.
It has been expanded (again) and now will reward up to $5 grand to these cheaters.
Cash.
Next, let's talk about all forms of welfare (Food Stamps, Section 8, TANF, unemployment, and all the rest). There are over 80 giveaway programs that give away money hand over fist. I think we all agree this is an outrage.
Let's move on to another program that people think they are entitled to. Medicare.
Medicare is about to explode in such massive deficits that I predict it will cease to exist in its present form within just a few years. I believe everyone will be herded into the ObamaCare cages, except the elite. The scary thing about ObamaCare is that the law actually controls healthcare access by race. It is IN the law, and there are "Minority Health" boards that control access. Most low information Americans have no idea this is coming.
128. Centers for Disease Control Office of Minority Health (Section 10334, p. 2272) 129. Health Resources and Services Administration Office of Minority Health (Section 10334, p. 2272) 130. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration Office of Minority Health (Section 10334, p. 2272) 131. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Office of Minority Health (Section 10334, p. 2272) 132. Food and Drug Administration Office of Minority Health (Section 10334, p. 2272) 133. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Office of Minority Health (Section 10334, p. 2272)
What all of this means is that we are going to become ancient Rome very, very fast. Much faster than when people realize.
Honestly, I think it all may collapse during Obama's second term. I never used to think that, but I am convinced it may actually occur.
Is there a difference between "earned" and "unearned" entitlements? Yes. I believe there is. Social Security is not Food Stamps, and Food Stamps are not Social Security. I get that. I think most people do as well. The military earned their small pensions (compare them to State pensions and you will get my point).
But groups like AARP and most seniors go ballistic when any form of entitlement reform is brought up.
Listen, we have to reform them all. We start with the "unearned" and we apply reforms to the "earned." If we don't, ALL of these programs will collapse. We are on a knifes edge economically. We may be one crisis away from the tipping point.