 |
| “For $200 you can feed a low income senior citizen for one year....” Courtesy of the Foodbank of Eastern Michigan |
Entitlement is the term of choice the majority of politicians and members of the media now use to refer to Social Security and Medicare. It’s a derogatory term that implies that elderly or disabled beneficiaries of these programs are selfish, undeserving people who subsist on government handouts without ever having contributed anything useful to society. And what’s more they’re living high on the hog at the expense of worthy taxpayers even as the nation’s economy goes down the drain.
Said politicians and media reps never mention that throughout their working lives, today’s seniors paid high Social Security and Medicare taxes. And have you ever heard any politician or news reporter note that the government continues to deduct hefty Medicare fees from the minimal monthly Social Security payments of even low income seniors?
Pay a visit sometime to a local apartment building for low income seniors and take a look at the residents. Notice how many of these “entitlement” folks are hard of hearing, but can’t afford hearing aids; wear eyeglasses that are at least five years old; and have lost all or most of their teeth, but can’t afford dentures. Then tell me again about the superior quality of life this population enjoys on the backs of taxpayers.
And while you’re visiting one of these establishments for the elderly and/or disabled, remind yourselves that the majority of the residents paid into the system while working hard throughout their adult lives, and many of them served in the military.
There is no doubt a percentage of independently wealthy seniors who could live very well without Social Security or Medicare. But why must our government and the media continuously denigrate the rest of the nation’s elderly and/or disabled population by referring to them as “entitlement” recipients, thus shaming them for barely meeting their basic needs for food, shelter, and medical care.
Barack Obama has already frozen social security for the past year, and now this year, saving the system a HUGE amount of money, already.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely the republicans stole the money with their two wars. In retrospect, I don't understand how we knew so quickly who was involved in the 911 attack. In retrospect, it should have taken months to know who was involved.
Hi Alessandro,
ReplyDeleteYes, it's shocking to realize that a Democratic Administration has frozen SS for the past two years.
Paying for two wars has no doubt dragged the country down financially - Obama referred to this in his campaign in 08, but I've not heard him mention it lately.
It's common knowledge that the govt. has raided the SS fund in recent years for other purposes. If "thousands of baby boomers are now retiring every day," those same baby boomers were paying SS taxes for decades prior to retiring, but no one ever mentions that either.