Comments on: Social Security, Medicare, Veterans’ Benefits: Please Don’t Call Them “Entitlements” http://www.aafr.org/please-dont-call-them-entitlements/ Advocacy and advice for baby boomers and beyond Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:39:01 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: Tom http://www.aafr.org/please-dont-call-them-entitlements/#comment-159 Tom Thu, 22 Jan 2009 19:31:07 +0000 http://www.aafr.org/?p=123#comment-159 I have hated the word "Entitlements" for so long because it is so very misleading. Too many people who have a superficial understanding hear the word "entitlement" and automatically think "welfare". To call these programs entitlements is doing a great disservice to the many people who have earned it (and for some, it is a mere pittance of what they truly deserve [i.e., veterans]). As was stated, the way some of these programs were initially structured was, in hindsight, "less than ideal" and certainly egregious mistakes were made in spending the money that workers paid into the system, however, that doesn't make these programs hand-outs. The bottom line is, these programs need to be fixed and everyone will have to assume a portion of the cost, but the sooner this is done, the less burdensome it will be. Everyone needs to sacrifice -- standing around pointing fingers (or blindly pretending the problem doesn't exist) will only make matters worse. We need to act and we need to act quickly. I have hated the word “Entitlements” for so long because it is so very misleading. Too many people who have a superficial understanding hear the word “entitlement” and automatically think “welfare”. To call these programs entitlements is doing a great disservice to the many people who have earned it (and for some, it is a mere pittance of what they truly deserve [i.e., veterans]).

As was stated, the way some of these programs were initially structured was, in hindsight, “less than ideal” and certainly egregious mistakes were made in spending the money that workers paid into the system, however, that doesn’t make these programs hand-outs.

The bottom line is, these programs need to be fixed and everyone will have to assume a portion of the cost, but the sooner this is done, the less burdensome it will be. Everyone needs to sacrifice — standing around pointing fingers (or blindly pretending the problem doesn’t exist) will only make matters worse. We need to act and we need to act quickly.

]]> By: Beware “Entitlement Reform” | Middle Class Impact http://www.aafr.org/please-dont-call-them-entitlements/#comment-22 Beware “Entitlement Reform” | Middle Class Impact Wed, 08 Oct 2008 13:52:23 +0000 http://www.aafr.org/?p=123#comment-22 [...] these things, they’ve earned, and paid for them. Check out this editorial about the so-called entitlement spending [...] [...] these things, they’ve earned, and paid for them. Check out this editorial about the so-called entitlement spending [...]

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