"Hi....I'm from the government and I'm here to help", or "Bend over and feel the love"

Imagine for a minute you decided you wanted a new computer, but you didn't want to go into debt for it.  Then you heard of a merchant who would sell you one on an old-fashioned layaway plan....you paid monthly, and when you'd paid in full, you could go and pick up your purchase.  It was sale priced, so you jumped at it.

This was the prize you were promised.

After working hard day after day, looking at the picture of your new computer stuck to your refrigerator door with a little magnet, waiting for the day when you could get your hands on it, you go to the store to claim your hard earned prize, and this is what they handed you....

Then they tell you they miscalculated....they couldn't deliver on that new computer after all.  Their projections were way off, they were operating in the red, costs were up, revenues were down, times were tough.  Never mind what they promised, but this was all you were going to get.  Sorry.

This is essentially what is threatening to happen with Social Security.  Most Republicans and more than a few Democrats have decided that "entitlements" must be cut if we're ever to have a balanced budget, or even a manageable deficit.  It seems the politicians have over-promised.  *shock!*

Only one little problem....people PAID into Social Security all their working lives in order to have that little pot of money waiting for them when they retired.  It's THEIR money!  Anything they could put aside over and above Social Security was great, but at the very least they had their Social Security waiting for them.   Now the gubment is considering taking at least some of it away.

"Entitlement" means they've already paid for it and they are entitled to receive it.  IMO, at this point it's a right, not a privilege.

This might be a bit more palatable if they had scrapped the entire tax code and put in a new one that treated everyone equally, but they didn't.  There are still subsidies and loopholes sprinkled throughout the old code, robbing the gubment of revenues it needs to keep above water.  And now they want to change the Social Security rules in the middle of the game to make up for their wild promises elsewhere.

Loopholes and subsidies are not paid for in advance.  They are pure and simple freebies to the recipients.  They are not entitled to them.

So people who are "entitled" to something are (maybe) not going to get it, while people who are NOT entitled to something can still count on getting theirs.

I could not in my wildest dream imagine a more dishonorable idea.  Considering it's coming from Congress I guess I shouldn't be surprised.

Oh....and Happy Tax Day.  :)

S