Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Nice story about your Dad and your Church. Most people do not game the system. There are plenty of veterans who need benefits. So many of them returned with PTSD, mental health issues, and traumatic wounds. What should they do? Would you deny them?
Fema is not handing money just because your hand is out. Not even in a disaster. They are accountable to us for the money they spend. So, yes. There is red tape.
My own father had a quad-bypass when the surgery was considered experimental. He had surgery at the VA in NYC. He was hospitalized for a month. The government paid for everything. That means your tax dollars, or your parents tax dollars saved his life. I am grateful.
We had a daily 100 plus mile trip. We had great neighbors, who mowed, cooked and took care of the pets for more than a month. The Church? Nothing. Never heard from them.
I left school with some debt. I kept it local, and State schools. Private schools and Ivy League was not affordable. I had to work a 40+ hour job, while going to school. I refuse to drown in debt for an undergraduate degree. Post grad debt is another story. Community College and State College is more affordable.
When ever my paycheck did not meet my needs, I worked a part time job. If your paycheck is not enough you have solutions available to you. Get training, or get a better job, or work a second job. There is a solution for every problem.
Social Security is not an entitlement program. We pay into it when we work.
Nice story about your Dad and your Church. Most people do not game the system. There are plenty of veterans who need benefits. So many of them returned with PTSD, mental health issues, and traumatic wounds. What should they do? Would you deny them?
I think it's naive to think that people are not actively gaming the system. Besides the cost and overhead of the beauracracy itself.
It's always more efficient to accomplish something by a private organization. Government never gets the job done more efficiently.
Quote:
Fema is not handing money just because your hand is out. Not even in a disaster. They are accountable to us for the money they spend. So, yes. There is red tape.
But there is example after example of them messing up.
Quote:
My own father had a quad-bypass when the surgery was considered experimental. He had surgery at the VA in NYC. He was hospitalized for a month. The government paid for everything. That means your tax dollars, or your parents tax dollars saved his life. I am grateful.
That is very cool - -your dad deserves to be honored and treated well. But we also have example after example of the VA abuses and miscues.
Quote:
We had a daily 100 plus mile trip. We had great neighbors, who mowed, cooked and took care of the pets for more than a month. The Church? Nothing. Never heard from them.
Were you active in your church? Did you know your pastor? The other members? If so, that's a crying shame. They were wrong to not help you if they could.
That's why it is an entitlement program; the recipients are entitled to the benefits they receive.
It's different from say, our National Parks, which we could decide to simply not fund.
Technically, your money will never come back to you. Your money is used to pay for the current participants. The hope is that when we need it, the next generation will be paying in enough to support us. It's not a retirement program where you are saving up for your retirement.
I believe you are the one who is incorrect. Every source I find shows military spending at around 16%. Entitlement programs like social security, medicare, medicade, Obamacare, and other programs make up nearly 60% according to this article and I've seen estimates as high as 85% in others.
Technically, your money will never come back to you. Your money is used to pay for the current participants. It's not a retirement program where you are saving up for your retirement.
You said "national debt" before. Now you are talking about spending. Not all spending is deficit spending.
Since we typically spend about $1.5 Trillion more than we make in tax revenue, it may as well be. How do we say what is and isn't debt spending? How about look at the things that increased the most since the last balanced budget? Sure, military spending has, but so has a lot of entitlement programs, including obamacare.
Entitlement programs are considered charity by people who resent helping others. That why they call it an entitlement. It is often used with derision.
I have no problem with "entitlement programs", food assistance, housing assistance, or healthcare. Jeff like others seems to resent them.
I agree it is often said with derision.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
