What is wrong with entitlements?

Question

I,we,collectively elect representatives to enact laws for our benefit.Knowing that these will incur costs,I,we, agree to pay taxes of various kinds from income tax to sales taxes to fees etc..Ergo,if I/we are paying for these entitlements why should we not demand them.

The URL below reads in part:

"An entitlement is a guarantee of access to benefits based on established rights or by legislation. A "right" is itself an entitlement associated with a moral or social principle, such that an "entitlement" is a provision made in accordance with legal framework of a society. Typically, entitlements are laws based on concepts of principle ("rights") which are themselves based in concepts of social equality or enfranchisement."

Conservatives have bastardized the definition of this word to serve their own anti WE THE 99% PEOPLE agenda by implying that people do not pay for what they are entitled to .That is simply in general a lie period



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Entitlement

Answer 1

I believe the problem is in defining "justifiable" entitlements. Why are Social Security and Medicare justifiable entitlements ? -- because they were paid into (and supposedly invested) by the recipient over the course of a lifetime of employment. ------- There are Other entitlements that can stand up to the scrutiny of "justifiable", but many "give away" programs only justification is the impact on a certain politicians popularity and/or "payoff" for political gain.

Answer 2

EDIT: OMG, this gets even funnier.



MARY IS FROM CANADA! She has NO CLUE what life is like here! She's posting about how unfair things are in the USA for her.



SHE ISN'T FROM HERE! OMG that is SO FUNNY!



ORIGINAL POST:

What is wrong with entitlements?

Your arrogant, needy posts, using Yahoo! Answers is being responded to.

You haven't asked a genuine question in MONTHS, seeking only to feed your failing self-esteem with put downs of others.

Amazingly needy behavior.

It's particularly sad because you are clearly capable of doing SOME research



Let's address your comments one-by-one.

Then I'm sure we'll have a TON of your evasions, insults and excuses, as usual (check the posts of First, you generalize the word "entitlement" in such a way as to obscure the actual complaint: The "You OWE me" attitude of people like you who think that taxes are for supporting your personal life.

OWS failed. Socialism has failed repeatedly (a type of government enabling of that attitude), and we're tired of it. We DON'T owe you. We never did.



Calling you out on it. WHAT are you entitled to?

NAME IT.



Then we'll see what you really mean. Then we can agree, or see you for what you are.

MARY: "Stop your inane obfuscations.RATES are what it is all about ,not absolute dollars. There is nothing legally,ethically/morally wrong with 10 % paying 70 % of the cost .Robber barons like you demand that the person earning %40,000 pay the same dollar amount as the multi-billionaire .What tripe!"



ME: That's garbage, Mary. Right now the higher earners pay more in percent and amounts than the lower, in every category. They use deductions created for REASONS; supporting arts, charities, investing in young businesses, etc., all created by government to support some aspect of our society and they only get to write off PART of that, so no matter how you slice it, if you include all they spend on donations, etc., they pay FAR more than anyone below them. You're obfuscating and putting words in people's mouth (seems to be what you do best).



MARY: "We have a graduated tax regime based on conceopts of fairness like the Widow's mite"



ME: That's garbage. We don't base our legal system or tax system on "Fairness". That would be foolish. "Fairness" is a child's concept of "Justice". Justice is when people get what they earn.

You're still living in elementary school ideologies, Mary.



And I LOVE how you call something a lie but NEVER show proof of it.

That's what people who lie do.



We see your games. If you actually read the responses instead of scratching at everyone, you'd realize how you are behaving publicly. Is this really how you want to present yourself? REALLY?

Answer 3

They would be fine if 10% didn't have to pay for 70% of the costs. The self employed pay both sides of SS and Medicare, and the people who pay at the cap pay WAY more than they'll ever collect so save that lie for someone else.



http://www.ntu.org/tax-basics/who-pays-income-taxes.html



EDIT: YOU SHOULD BE SAYING THANK YOU FOR WORKING 60+ HOURS FOR 20+ YEARS, BUT INSTEAD YOU DEMAND MORE AND DEMAND TO PAY LESS YOURSELF. LOOK IN YOUR OWN MIRROR AND STOP JUDGING PEOPLE YOU DO NOT KNOW. I LIVE IN NY STATE. THE LAND OF ENDLESS ENTITLEMENTS AND MASSIVE POVERTY IN EVERY UPSTATE CITY, SO SHOW ME HOW YOUR IDEAS WORK BECAUSE THEYA RE FAILING EVERYWHERE.

Answer 4

People undergoing chemo should not have to work but only 5 states offer temporary disability benefits. Entitlements are not only for poor people - they are for sick people and children whose parents don't make enough money to take care of htem

Answer 5

Because it pays poor people to sit ont heir collective butts while working people have to pay more than their fair share

Answer 6

Entitlements discourages hard work .....discourages self-reliance and encourages & rewards government dependency