Being the insulated nation that we are in we only hear what "they" want us to hear which is primarily the entire economic downfall of the modern world is "entitlements". Entitlements are the next great bogeyman that is going to tear down this world we live in, right down to the foundations. In the '20s it was alcohol. In the '50s it was communism. The '60s it was hippies and free love. The '70s was Vietnam and OPEC. The '80s was nothing but a slew of distractions until the end of the Cold War so we never really knew what was going on. The '90s it was the Gulf War. Beginning in 2001 terrorism became the demon. A couple years ago it turned into entitlements with a light sprinkling of terrorism when too many of us start to put the pieces together.
Everything is the fault of entitlements. Paying people a fair wage means someone feels entitled to making too much money in the eyes of the great all-knowing "them" who are calling the shots. People working in the public sector getting healthcare and retirement packages and all of a sudden these heathens are bleeding us dry because they feel entitled to those things. Someone getting welfare because they need it and all of a sudden each and every person on welfare is milking the system because they feel entitled to something for nothing. We could go on like this forever.
What is everybody missing? Legislators voting themselves pay raises for screwing us all in the ass. Democrats forced poor legislation through. Republicans, knowing full well what would happen let it happen. They could have worked hand in hand with democrats to improve the end result but stubbornly sat on the sideline because the boss told them to. The democrats stuck it to us and the republicans let it happen. They are the same, in my opinion.
Senior executives at companies putting the screws to their employees every chance they get. Raiding pensions, reducing benefits, cutting pay, laying people off, etc. Then taking obscene bonuses that far outstrip the savings those moves made.
People in government, top to bottom at all levels, taking corruption to new levels every day. Six digit figures to redo their offices. Kickbacks, bribes, threats, obstruction of justice. We see this every day across the country, making national headlines even!
But what are we worried about? We're worried about how much our unemployed neighbor is getting in unemployment benefits. If you've been on unemployment you know you won't be making your car payment much less rent or mortgage. Not if you want to eat. We're worried about the single mom getting welfare. Talking about how she has to be on drugs because she looks like shit 24/7. You'd look like shit 24/7 if you had a child, your family turned their back on you and you are trying to do the best you can to make sure your baby is fed and clothed.
We are worried about this stuff because we've been told that these things are what is destroying the world today. We're getting angry at the wrong people. We're getting a daily prison gangbanging and we're mad at the old inmate mopping the floors. It doesn't make any sense does it? Maybe I'm missing something. We're being manipulated like so much play-doh and we're joyous about it because we've been told who to be mad at. We didn't have to do any thinking because we've been told by someone who can beam it at us every moment of every day that the reason for this travesty is a bunch of lazy bums are on the public dole sucking the life out of everybody else! Told that by the same people who are screwing us like we're a cheap hooker on coupon day.
The truth of the matter is that if all these "entitlement" programs suddenly ended the cost to society would be much greater. When that happens there will be another bogeyman that the finger will get pointed at. Pointed at by the people doing the screwing. And as a whole we'll believe every word of it. We'll believe it because we didn't have to think about it.