[Arm_Bears]

If they’re not entitlements, getting rid of them shouldn’t be a problem then.

[Viking2002]

They aren't entitlements; they are, as H.L. Mencken once said, 'an advance sale of stolen goods'.......!

"But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away, for his name is Obama."

[USNBandit]

The big problem will be that people pay into Social Security and Medicare.

[cripplecreek]

It doesn’t matter what we call them because right now they’re a tar baby that keeps us tied up and prevents us from cutting hundreds of billions elsewhere.

[doc1019]

I’m still trying to figure out why those on “entitlement” programs are entitled?

[spel_grammer_an_punct_polise]

I would like to know where the word ‘entitlements’ came from. They used to be called ‘welfare’ but then the communists in government came up with the catch-word, ‘entitlements’.

Are free food stamps, free housing, cell-phones entitlements, for example?

[doc1019]

I have told this story several time here on FR, I will tell it yet again.

Back in the day, early 1950’s my father was off to war in Korea and my mother was left at home with two children. We had no money beyond rent and the little money my father could send home (e3) didn’t help much.

My mother applied for and received community help via a thing call “commodities” a precursor to welfare, a weekly package of items consisting of a large can of peanut butter, several loaves of bread, oat meal and powdered milk (might have been more, don’t remember).

When the weekly “commodities” arrived, the person delivering them would yell out from the curb “Mrs xxxx” your commodities are here! She did this for one purpose and one purpose only ... to embarrass the recipient. Hopefully the embarrassment would cause the recipient to get a job and get off welfare.

Can you imagine this happening today?

Wouldn’t want to embarrass our latest crop of entitlement recipients, not that they would care. Free stuff is their entitlement after all.

[ColdSteelTalon]

I paid into it. Its my money and is therefore an entitlement (social security). paying me less when I retire is stealing from me.

[Vaduz]

Only options cut benefits or spending.

[EDINVA]

That’s good because I continually see seniors moaning that their SS is not an entitlement because they paid into it for years. (and, yes, I am a senior myself)