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Entitlement Generation

Posted: Wed May 05, 2010 12:24 pm
by bedub1
I believe there is a generation of people who believe they are Entitled to certain things. Do you agree? Do you think they are right? Do you think people are entitled to certain things? if so, what are they?

Re: Entitlement Generation

Posted: Wed May 05, 2010 12:28 pm
by thegreekdog
Yes.
No.
Yes.
See the US Constitution and amendments.

Re: Entitlement Generation

Posted: Wed May 05, 2010 12:29 pm
by Timminz
I'm entitled to whatever I want, because I come from old money. In other words...



..f*ck you! Got mine!

Re: Entitlement Generation

Posted: Wed May 05, 2010 12:30 pm
by thegreekdog
Timminz wrote:I'm entitled to whatever I want, because I come from old money. In other words...



..f*ck you! Got mine!
Good for you!

Re: Entitlement Generation

Posted: Wed May 05, 2010 12:50 pm
by pimpdave
Another thread about the Baby Boomers, huh?

Re: Entitlement Generation

Posted: Wed May 05, 2010 12:54 pm
by DangerBoy
bedub1 wrote:I believe there is a generation of people who believe they are Entitled to certain things. Do you agree?
I think this attitude transcends generations. But if there was an entitlement generation more intense than others in America, I see it as those who were young people in the late 60s - early 70s
bedub1 wrote:Do you think they are right?
No, I don't think that's the correct way to think
bedub1 wrote:Do you think people are entitled to certain things?
I do think that people are entitled to certain protections from the government. I don't think people are entitled to other peoples' money for the most part. I also think protections are being redefined to mean providing for.
bedub1 wrote:if so, what are they?
Right to life, liberty, pursuit of happiness. The Bill of Rights.

Re: Entitlement Generation

Posted: Wed May 05, 2010 1:45 pm
by Night Strike
DangerBoy wrote:
bedub1 wrote:I believe there is a generation of people who believe they are Entitled to certain things. Do you agree?
I think this attitude transcends generations. But if there was an entitlement generation more intense than others in America, I see it as those who were young people in the late 60s - early 70s
Hence the wonderful problems we've been given now that these people have been in charge of our government for the past 20 years.

Re: Entitlement Generation

Posted: Wed May 05, 2010 2:42 pm
by tzor
bedub1 wrote:I believe there is a generation of people who believe they are Entitled to certain things. Do you agree? Do you think they are right? Do you think people are entitled to certain things? if so, what are they?
Yes, I agree there is a growing generation of people who seem to believe this.
They are idiots.
I hate to quote a Democrat but in this case ...
"Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."

I believe in the exact inverse; we are not all entitled; we are all called to duty.

Re: Entitlement Generation

Posted: Wed May 05, 2010 4:26 pm
by PLAYER57832
bedub1 wrote:I believe there is a generation of people who believe they are Entitled to certain things.

Yes, CEO's and banks seem to think they are entitled to millions of dollars in bonuses no matter how much money they are losing everyone else.

Re: Entitlement Generation

Posted: Wed May 05, 2010 4:33 pm
by Woodruff
bedub1 wrote:I believe there is a generation of people who believe they are Entitled to certain things.
Yes.
bedub1 wrote:Do you agree?
Depends on which "certain things" we're talking about.
bedub1 wrote:Do you think they are right?
Depends on which "certain things" we're talking about.
bedub1 wrote:Do you think people are entitled to certain things? if so, what are they?
Yes. A reasonably safe place to live (not necessarily own). Enough food to survive in a minimally healthy manner. The opportunity to work to provide these things (this is probably the key).

Re: Entitlement Generation

Posted: Wed May 05, 2010 4:37 pm
by silvanricky
bedub1 wrote:I believe there is a generation of people who believe they are Entitled to certain things. Do you agree? Do you think they are right? Do you think people are entitled to certain things? if so, what are they?
I think what you're getting at is has it gone too far, right? There will probably always be some group of entitlement programs. The fact is that they cannot continue to fund them at this level without bankrupting people through higher taxes. We should turn this back against Obama & the Dems.

"We’re not trying to push social spending reform because we begrudge laziness or hardship. Although we do think at a certain point you’ve received enough of other peoples money through benefits you didn't earn."

Re: Entitlement Generation

Posted: Wed May 05, 2010 5:04 pm
by Timminz
silvanricky wrote:The fact is that they cannot continue to fund them at this level without bankrupting people through higher taxes.
If that's the case, why not look at better places to cut spending. Let's take a look at a chart of the 2008 budget for the USA.
Image

It looks to me like you could cut the equivalent of every single one of the "entitlement programs" out of the pentagon's budget, and it would still be, by far, the biggest portion of the budget.

Or is the war in Iraq really making the lives of Americans that much better.

Re: Entitlement Generation

Posted: Wed May 05, 2010 5:15 pm
by DeltaFormation
Timminz wrote:If that's the case, why not look at better places to cut spending. Let's take a look at a chart of the 2008 budget for the USA.
Image

It looks to me like you could cut the equivalent of every single one of the "entitlement programs" out of the pentagon's budget, and it would still be, by far, the biggest portion of the budget.

Or is the war in Iraq really making the lives of Americans that much better.
I agree that slashing the budget for Defense/Pentagon would greatly reduce the deficit in the short term - but - you have to realize that up until around this year (give or take a few years), social security, Medicare/Medicaid were not drags on the budget - they were actually helpful, but instead of saving that money from social security and other programs and being honest about it, they withdrew all extra money from the past to try to close the budget deficit and make it look smaller.

Now there are 3 massive programs that are unfunded. They need to be restructured now.

Re: Entitlement Generation

Posted: Wed May 05, 2010 5:42 pm
by Night Strike
Timminz wrote:
silvanricky wrote:The fact is that they cannot continue to fund them at this level without bankrupting people through higher taxes.
If that's the case, why not look at better places to cut spending. Let's take a look at a chart of the 2008 budget for the USA.
Image

It looks to me like you could cut the equivalent of every single one of the "entitlement programs" out of the pentagon's budget, and it would still be, by far, the biggest portion of the budget.

Or is the war in Iraq really making the lives of Americans that much better.
The Department of Defense is the #1 job of the federal government, so its budget should in reality be close to 100%. Education, Job Hungry, Health, Human Services, Community Development, Housing, and Agriculture should be run by the states.

Re: Entitlement Generation

Posted: Wed May 05, 2010 5:45 pm
by PLAYER57832
Night Strike wrote: The Department of Defense is the #1 job of the federal government, so its budget should in reality be close to 100%. Education, Job Hungry, Health, Human Services, Community Development, Housing, and Agriculture should be run by the states.
Yes, since lack of regulation worked so very well in the 1930's.

Re: Entitlement Generation

Posted: Wed May 05, 2010 6:19 pm
by thegreekdog
Timminz wrote:
silvanricky wrote:The fact is that they cannot continue to fund them at this level without bankrupting people through higher taxes.
If that's the case, why not look at better places to cut spending. Let's take a look at a chart of the 2008 budget for the USA.
Image

It looks to me like you could cut the equivalent of every single one of the "entitlement programs" out of the pentagon's budget, and it would still be, by far, the biggest portion of the budget.

Or is the war in Iraq really making the lives of Americans that much better.
Why do you (and others) assume that fiscal conservatives don't want to reduce the budget for the Pentagon? That seems to be a recurring argument around here.

Re: Entitlement Generation

Posted: Wed May 05, 2010 7:07 pm
by john9blue
Because we're WAR HAWKS

AMERICA f*ck YEAH

:D

Re: Entitlement Generation

Posted: Wed May 05, 2010 7:26 pm
by Baron Von PWN
thegreekdog wrote:
Timminz wrote:
silvanricky wrote:The fact is that they cannot continue to fund them at this level without bankrupting people through higher taxes.
If that's the case, why not look at better places to cut spending. Let's take a look at a chart of the 2008 budget for the USA.
Image

It looks to me like you could cut the equivalent of every single one of the "entitlement programs" out of the pentagon's budget, and it would still be, by far, the biggest portion of the budget.

Or is the war in Iraq really making the lives of Americans that much better.
Why do you (and others) assume that fiscal conservatives don't want to reduce the budget for the Pentagon? That seems to be a recurring argument around here.
I suppose it is because they often talk about cutting "entitlements" and never the defense budget.

Re: Entitlement Generation

Posted: Wed May 05, 2010 7:41 pm
by BigBallinStalin
tzor wrote:
bedub1 wrote:I believe there is a generation of people who believe they are Entitled to certain things. Do you agree? Do you think they are right? Do you think people are entitled to certain things? if so, what are they?
Yes, I agree there is a growing generation of people who seem to believe this.
They are idiots.
I hate to quote a Democrat but in this case ...
"Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country."

I believe in the exact inverse; we are not all entitled; we are all called to duty.
Certainly, you wouldn't mind compulsory military service, would you?

Re: Entitlement Generation

Posted: Thu May 06, 2010 7:05 am
by thegreekdog
BBS, I think you can safely assume that most fiscal conservatives on this site want to cut the defense budget too. At least that's what I've garnered in the last year or so.

Re: Entitlement Generation

Posted: Thu May 06, 2010 7:50 am
by BigBallinStalin
thegreekdog wrote:BBS, I think you can safely assume that most fiscal conservatives on this site want to cut the defense budget too. At least that's what I've garnered in the last year or so.
Oh, I'm in no disagreement. Just poking fun at Tzor's post about one's call to duty.

It's amazing how much those projects cost us in return for such insignificant worth and how year after year those budgets are constantly justified. Seems that the higher-ups got a strangle-hold over enough of the decision-makers in the Congress and Senate.

Re: Entitlement Generation

Posted: Thu May 06, 2010 8:32 am
by PLAYER57832
thegreekdog wrote:BBS, I think you can safely assume that most fiscal conservatives on this site want to cut the defense budget too. At least that's what I've garnered in the last year or so.
But you have to distinguish between "conservatives" and "fiscal conservatives."

The general term tends to include those who are social conservative and definitely people who are pro-military expansion and maintenance.

Even within the "budget cutting", there is a distinction in where folks want the cuts. Few people, even liberals, want soldiers sent out without the latest protective gear and armoured vehicles. But, we can all name a few projects that should never have been implemented.

Re: Entitlement Generation

Posted: Thu May 06, 2010 9:02 am
by 72o
People should be entitled to equal access to infrastructure - roads, utilities, etc. They are entitled to emergency services, law enforcement, and a judicial system.

They should not be entitled to have free houses, paychecks, and cell phones.

Unfortunately, our government believes that people are entitled to procreate at will and have the government make up for their own stupidity with financial support.

Just look at Athens. That's what happens when the populous becomes dependent on a nanny state.

Re: Entitlement Generation

Posted: Thu May 06, 2010 9:12 am
by BigBallinStalin
72o wrote:
Just look at Athens. That's what happens when the populous becomes dependent on a nanny state.
Really? Seemed like the government dropped the ball on that one, not the people.

Re: Entitlement Generation

Posted: Thu May 06, 2010 9:16 am
by 72o
BigBallinStalin wrote:
72o wrote:
Just look at Athens. That's what happens when the populous becomes dependent on a nanny state.
Really? Seemed like the government dropped the ball on that one, not the people.
How so? By informing the people that they have run out of money and can no longer support them all?