Do you want this country to be the land of opportunity or the land of entitlements?

[Mr. Peepers]

You're being insulted because I have stated over and over and over and over and over and over and over again that I do not support corporate nor personal welfare.... no farm subsidies nor any other subsidies...

Nice try....

Oh really? On this thread, nowhere was corporate welfare mentioned... only the poor saps trying to survive in this hostile economy are being described as "leeches". Yes, as long as you need a certain amount of money to even SURVIVE, there will be entitlements necessary in this country. There will always be someone who cannot do for themselves. Taking care of these people is the price you pay for the privilege of living in a society. Do you really want millions of people one illness, job loss or other hardship away from being homeless and destitute? And then when that happens, then what? What will you DO with all these poor souls if you have your way? I'd really like to know. And it's true. You know as well as I do that more of our taxpayer money is being funneled to and wasted on the already wealthy and corporations than will ever go to this country's poor. I wish someone would have the courage or wherewithal to ferret out the actual numbers.

 

[Seawytch]

I sure want it to be a land of opportunities but its sure is getting to be the land of entitlements!!!

What is your definition of an "entitlement"?

 

[Lovebears65]

I sure want it to be a land of opportunities but its sure is getting to be the land of entitlements!!!

Why can't we be both?

Because an opportunity is something you choose to grasp and the provider chooses to set forward... your entitlements are seized involuntarily and handed out like they are owed, simply because you exist, whether or not you try and do a damn thing by a government that grabs more power with every program

Is free education an entitlement? How about free roads? When was the last time you used your Fire Department?

Entitlements are in the eye of the beholder. The ones we use are justified, the ones others use are free loading

Here if you use the fire dept or an ambulance you get charged for it.. Education is so fucked up here I would probably home school my kids if they were little or put them in a private school .. Plus we pay for that stuff with our TAXES its not FREE!! It is only Free for the people who pay no taxes

 

[Lovebears65]

I sure want it to be a land of opportunities but its sure is getting to be the land of entitlements!!!

What is your definition of an "entitlement"?

People who pay no taxes and gets to use things that I pay taxes for

others,

Healthcare law , so many weeks for unemployment benefits , Welfare for more then 2 years , Medicaid for more then 2 years except for children. just to name a few

So many people work the system and get SS disability . The ones I hate the most who are on it for drug addiction

 

[Seawytch]

I sure want it to be a land of opportunities but its sure is getting to be the land of entitlements!!!

What is your definition of an "entitlement"?

People who pay no taxes and gets to use things that I pay taxes for

others,

Healthcare law , so many weeks for unemployment benefits , Welfare for more then 2 years , Medicaid for more then 2 years except for children. just to name a few

So many people work the system and get SS disability . The ones I hate the most who are on it for drug addiction

So you want to scrap programs that have saved thousands of lives because a VERY small minority abuse it?

 

[rightwinger]

I sure want it to be a land of opportunities but its sure is getting to be the land of entitlements!!!

Because an opportunity is something you choose to grasp and the provider chooses to set forward... your entitlements are seized involuntarily and handed out like they are owed, simply because you exist, whether or not you try and do a damn thing by a government that grabs more power with every program

Is free education an entitlement? How about free roads? When was the last time you used your Fire Department?

Entitlements are in the eye of the beholder. The ones we use are justified, the ones others use are free loading

Here if you use the fire dept or an ambulance you get charged for it.. Education is so fucked up here I would probably home school my kids if they were little or put them in a private school .. Plus we pay for that stuff with our TAXES its not FREE!! It is only Free for the people who pay no taxes

Not true....
Your taxes do not pay for everything you use. Who plows your roads in the winter? Who pays for new roads that you drive on? Where do you work? Who pays for the facilities they use? Will you be taking Social Security?

Every American receives entitlements. We have one of the highest standards of living because of our collective entitlements

 

[Lovebears65]

What is your definition of an "entitlement"?

People who pay no taxes and gets to use things that I pay taxes for

others,

Healthcare law , so many weeks for unemployment benefits , Welfare for more then 2 years , Medicaid for more then 2 years except for children. just to name a few

So many people work the system and get SS disability . The ones I hate the most who are on it for drug addiction

So you want to scrap programs that have saved thousands of lives because a VERY small minority abuse it?

No but very small is getting bigger and bigger every day. I cant remember how much more it went up this year but its because of the economy is why people are doing it.. Lawyers are making a fortune though

 

[Seawytch]

There is no such thing as a person who pays no taxes.

 

[Seawytch]

People who pay no taxes and gets to use things that I pay taxes for

others,

Healthcare law , so many weeks for unemployment benefits , Welfare for more then 2 years , Medicaid for more then 2 years except for children. just to name a few

So many people work the system and get SS disability . The ones I hate the most who are on it for drug addiction

So you want to scrap programs that have saved thousands of lives because a VERY small minority abuse it?

No but very small is getting bigger and bigger every day. I cant remember how much more it went up this year but its because of the economy is why people are doing it.. Lawyers are making a fortune though

Please, cite your source of this increase in abuse.

Wouldn't it be better to increase the enforcement for abusers than to scrap programs that have kept countless people from poverty?

 

[Lovebears65]

Is free education an entitlement? How about free roads? When was the last time you used your Fire Department?

Entitlements are in the eye of the beholder. The ones we use are justified, the ones others use are free loading

Here if you use the fire dept or an ambulance you get charged for it.. Education is so fucked up here I would probably home school my kids if they were little or put them in a private school .. Plus we pay for that stuff with our TAXES its not FREE!! It is only Free for the people who pay no taxes

Not true....
Your taxes do not pay for everything you use. Who plows your roads in the winter? Who pays for new roads that you drive on? Where do you work? Who pays for the facilities they use? Will you be taking Social Security?

Every American receives entitlements. We have one of the highest standards of living because of our collective entitlements

Snow LOL I live in SE georgia and that is also paid through city taxes. Social Security. I doubt will be there when I get that age . The age will be raised or even fade out I am sure even though we paid for it.. UM isnt roads paid for by federal taxes or city or county taxes. That is what I thought and I just googled it and it says the same thing. And when they expanded a road near us it says this is paid for by the SPLOST . Its a tax

 

[chanel]

"Entitlements" only benefit a few. ROADS and SCHOOLS and LAW ENFORCEMENT, etc. benefit the general public. True story.

A "refundable tax credit", when given to those who pay NO taxes is an entitlement. A tax refund for those who have overpaid is not.

(I apologize to those intelligence I may have insulted)

 

[chanel]

Socialists believe in "equity" not "equality" Huge difference. Obama and Co. would like to see "equality of outcome" regardless if "input".

 

[C_Clayton_Jones]

I sure want it to be a land of opportunities but its sure is getting to be the land of entitlements!!!

It’s not a matter of ‘want,’ the United States is in deed and in fact a land of opportunity. Anyone may do as he sees fit with his life, achieve any goal desired.

It is also a fact that the United States is an enlightened, sophisticated society that places great value on the importance every persons’ dignity; that there are millions of Americans through no fault of their own who are experiencing hardship and loss, particularly during these difficult economic times. For these Americans it’s perfectly appropriate to provide them with assistance until they are able to get back on their feet and rejoin the workforce.

For millions of other Americans, however, this is not an option, due to incapacity, illness, disability, or age. As a consequence of our humanity and civility we see fit to ensure disadvantaged Americans are provided with at least the basic needs to survive. This is also a wise and pragmatic approach from a fiscal standpoint as to allow these Americans to suffer will only result in long-term detriment to taxpayers, public assistance programs, private non-profit relief agencies, and society as a whole.

Certainly no one advocates we step over dead bodies in the streets.

The notion of ‘entitlements’ therefore as perceived by conservatives is a myth; Americans who are able to provide for themselves are allowed to do so unfettered and flourish. The majority of such Americans are intelligent enough to understand that the taxes they pay to ensure the well-being of disadvantaged Americans are a pittance compared to the hefty price they’d otherwise pay in the overall degradation of society.

That conservatives seek to politicize this issue is reprehensible.

 

[Lovebears65]

So you want to scrap programs that have saved thousands of lives because a VERY small minority abuse it?

No but very small is getting bigger and bigger every day. I cant remember how much more it went up this year but its because of the economy is why people are doing it.. Lawyers are making a fortune though

Please, cite your source of this increase in abuse.

Wouldn't it be better to increase the enforcement for abusers than to scrap programs that have kept countless people from poverty?

I said NO to scrapping it but we need to get a handle on the abuse, because its on the brink of going away!!! Applicants are up 50% from 10 years ago

Do you know how to use google. I do and its quite easy to find answers. I dont get petty when people dont have proof . I look for myself for the answer but since you dont want too here is the proof and its a left wing article so you can believe it


Social Security Disability Program Pushed To Brink Of Insolvency

 

[NYcarbineer]

I sure want it to be a land of opportunities but its sure is getting to be the land of entitlements!!!

Name the entitlements you want to end.

 

[Lovebears65]

I sure want it to be a land of opportunities but its sure is getting to be the land of entitlements!!!

Name the entitlements you want to end.

If you read the thread you would see . Man you left people are lazy

 

[Jackson]

There's an interpretation to "entitlements" that each side is using that is different and in most cases, each is right. Both have a point. Subsidies and corporate welfare should be targeted to avoid abuse, but so should welfare abuse and paying those who are not disabled or elderly.

The problem is Democrats and Republicans in Congress have no real reason to debate and come to common ground or common sense for that matter, on the issue. We have to get rid of the leaders and expect our representatives to debate and listen to each side.

How can they do that when they aren't there to listen to debates and seldom are working for the country as a whole?

We need changing in Congress and that won't take place until we have a change in leadership in the White House that sponsors that type of cooperation. We know that Obama is not the answer to that type of change.

 

[Clementine]

I sure want it to be a land of opportunities but its sure is getting to be the land of entitlements!!!

If what you mean by "entitlements" is that I am entitled to receive something I've worked and paid for my whole life then it's BOTH.

I expect the government to live up to it's promises and so far nobody has shown me where we AREN'T the Land of Opportunity.

And so your point was?????

I notice that politicians have lumped welfare, military pensions and social security into the same category by calling them all entitlements.

Pensions and social security are something people earned over many years and they damn sure are entitled to what they worked for.

Welfare is not an entitlement, it's a hand out.

I was pissed when Obama announced, during the debt ceiling debate, that he could not guarantee that senior citizens would get their social security checks. I was fuming because social security has it's own trust fund and the politicians are supposed to keep their grubby hands out of the "lock box." They've borrowed over a trillion dollars from the social security surplus fund, which is allowed, but they have to pay it back. I heard on the news today that this last year, the government paid out $46 billion more in social security than they took in. Peachy. Apparently, there is no surplus fund anymore and I wonder when that money will get paid back, with interest, to the social security trust fund.

There was also talk during the debt ceiling debate that the military retirees might not get their pensions.

Notice that Obama never threatened the welfare recipients that they might not get their checks! The government dependents must be sacred. I'm sure his illegal aunt had no worries about getting her social security disability check either.

It's clear that those who worked hard for benefits are the first to lose out if the government runs out of money, but the ones on the doles have no worries.

No one is entitled to the earnings of others and should be thankful they get help, then should at least try to get back on their feet so they can contribute instead of drain the system.

 

[Chris]

I sure want it to be a land of opportunities but its sure is getting to be the land of entitlements!!!

If what you mean by "entitlements" is that I am entitled to receive something I've worked and paid for my whole life then it's BOTH.

I expect the government to live up to it's promises and so far nobody has shown me where we AREN'T the Land of Opportunity.

And so your point was?????

I notice that politicians have lumped welfare, military pensions and social security into the same category by calling them all entitlements.

Pensions and social security are something people earned over many years and they damn sure are entitled to what they worked for.

Welfare is not an entitlement, it's a hand out.

I was pissed when Obama announced, during the debt ceiling debate, that he could not guarantee that senior citizens would get their social security checks. I was fuming because social security has it's own trust fund and the politicians are supposed to keep their grubby hands out of the "lock box." They've borrowed over a trillion dollars from the social security surplus fund, which is allowed, but they have to pay it back. I heard on the news today that this last year, the government paid out $46 billion more in social security than they took in. Peachy. Apparently, there is no surplus fund anymore and I wonder when that money will get paid back, with interest, to the social security trust fund.

There was also talk during the debt ceiling debate that the military retirees might not get their pensions.

Notice that Obama never threatened the welfare recipients that they might not get their checks! The government dependents must be sacred. I'm sure his illegal aunt had no worries about getting her social security disability check either.

It's clear that those who worked hard for benefits are the first to lose out if the government runs out of money, but the ones on the doles have no worries.

No one is entitled to the earnings of others and should be thankful they get help, then should at least try to get back on their feet so they can contribute instead of drain the system.

I don't think you should talk about our retired military that way.

 

[Clementine]

If what you mean by "entitlements" is that I am entitled to receive something I've worked and paid for my whole life then it's BOTH.

I expect the government to live up to it's promises and so far nobody has shown me where we AREN'T the Land of Opportunity.

And so your point was?????

I notice that politicians have lumped welfare, military pensions and social security into the same category by calling them all entitlements.

Pensions and social security are something people earned over many years and they damn sure are entitled to what they worked for.

Welfare is not an entitlement, it's a hand out.

I was pissed when Obama announced, during the debt ceiling debate, that he could not guarantee that senior citizens would get their social security checks. I was fuming because social security has it's own trust fund and the politicians are supposed to keep their grubby hands out of the "lock box." They've borrowed over a trillion dollars from the social security surplus fund, which is allowed, but they have to pay it back. I heard on the news today that this last year, the government paid out $46 billion more in social security than they took in. Peachy. Apparently, there is no surplus fund anymore and I wonder when that money will get paid back, with interest, to the social security trust fund.

There was also talk during the debt ceiling debate that the military retirees might not get their pensions.

Notice that Obama never threatened the welfare recipients that they might not get their checks! The government dependents must be sacred. I'm sure his illegal aunt had no worries about getting her social security disability check either.

It's clear that those who worked hard for benefits are the first to lose out if the government runs out of money, but the ones on the doles have no worries.

No one is entitled to the earnings of others and should be thankful they get help, then should at least try to get back on their feet so they can contribute instead of drain the system.

I don't think you should talk about our retired military that way.

You don't think I should say we deserve what we earned? Read my post again. I realize it's tax payer money paying for the pensions as well as social security, but people worked their whole lives, paid in and military paid more than most and they earned that pittance of a pension. It makes me ill that our men and women who risk their lives for our country's security don't get near the amount that public union members do.

There is a world of difference between working people who earned their way and welfare recipients who merely stuck their hands out.