By John Blombach | Assistant Editor
Are you a member of an entitlement generation, I know I sure am? We are living in one of the most self-absorbed times in American history. We are a gift to society, and the world owes us everything. Entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness, yes, but are we taking the entitlements to an all new unsustainable level?
Free education, free healthcare, free prescriptions, free money, free legal aid, free insurance, free benefits to American ____(fill in the blank). Also, unemployment compensation in New Hampshire, vacation pay in Massachusetts, free rent, free oil, free cell phones, and let’s not forget a living wage, just to name a few. Entitlement spending is now the highest it has ever been, and it is not just a liberal or conservative issue. Both political parties share the blame in equal fashion.
According to a recent article in US News, contrary to popular belief, government give away programs have risen an average of eight percent more under Republican than Democratic presidencies. However, under current President Obama’s continued lavish spending, entitlements have become an integral part of the great “American Dream.” Feeding at the public trough is seen as a “fundamental civil right of all Americans, thanks to both parties.” Our looming entitlement crisis is a serious problem, and most Americans are in denial about it, and politicians are afraid to admit it or attempt to fix it for fear of losing political favor.
Fiddling with tax rates will not fix it. There’s not enough money in all of America to pay for this feeding frenzy. Unabated, the programs that we all rely on will become insolvent and have to be curtailed altogether. At this point, entitlements and interest on the nineteen trillion dollars national debt take up two-thirds of all the revenue from taxes, leaving just one-third of all the revenue to pay for education, defense and replacing crumbling infrastructure such as federal buildings, roadways and the cost of government.
Ignoring the deficit problem will not make it go away. We all enjoy our freebies, courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue, but like all good things they must be paid for either now or later. The day of reckoning is near, and it is becoming clearer and clearer that the piper will need to be paid. What is the solution?
While I am no government economist, and I may not know much, but I can add two and two. I know right from wrong and good from evil. The simple solution is more jobs, grow the economy, raise the taxes, and cut unnecessary entitlements. There are many who need government assistance and should get all that is available. However, there are far too many who may be taking more than their fair share, thereby cheating those truly needy.
The entitlements can all be saved if we act now and demand our politicians do their job and fix what’s broken. Tough decisions and sacrifices made now will save our future. The right decisions are never the easy ones and are most often very unpopular. It will take guts to do what is right. What can we do? Are we powerless? Not at all! Register to vote and hit the polls in November and make your voice heard, regardless of your particular political persuasion, your vote counts. You have the power.
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