Moving Towards An Entitlement Society

The great recession sent shockwaves through many parts of American society, but one of the lasting
and perhaps most destructive effects of the economic devastation was the acceleration of America
towards an entitlement society. What most Americans dont know is that the combination of
unemployment, underemployment, collapsing housing prices and the liberal policies of the current
administration in Washington have combined to create a situation where nearly half of our nation is
dependent on an entitlement program and does not contribute to our society through ta!es. This is a
situation fraught with peril and one that cannot continue without serious conse"uences to our nation.
There is no doubt that the recession caused great disruption in the labor market and many people are
unemployed through no fault of their own. Still, it has been estimated that upwards of #$ million working
age Americans are not in the labor force. Surely some of these people do not participate in the labor
force because they choose not to. They might be wealthy enough not to have to work or they might be
stay at home moms or dads who can afford not to work because their spouse or partner is able to
provide for them. Still others might truly be disabled and unable to work. This still leaves tens of millions
who are not working or will not work and our society makes it easy for them to avoid work. Each month
when the unemployment statistics are released and we hear that so many millions of people have left
the labor force, we wonder where they went. %ow can someone who is unemployed simply stop looking
for a &ob' (ont they need to feed and shelter themselves' )or many the answer to the last "uestion is
no. The government will step in and support them at a minimal level, often making them dependent on
the government for the rest of their lives. *n +$$,, the administration of -arack .bama began to e!tend
the number of weeks the unemployed could draw unemployment insurance. Eventually it became ,,
weeks/ Thats almost two years. 0eft to this 1resident there is no doubt that the number of weeks would
continue to be increased until unemployment insurance became a lifelong entitlement for those who
choose not to work or who think that two &obs or a &ob at Wal2Mart or Mc(onalds is beneath them.
There is no greater disincentive to looking for work than being able to continually draw a check for
doing nothing.
*ts not &ust unemployment insurance that is offered in such an easy manner. .ther welfare entitlement
programs have e!ploded as well. Today, over #$ million Americans receive food subsidies through the
program that has been rebranded with the catchy name S3A1. We can all remember the old 4food
stamps5 that so many were loathe to pull out in the grocery store for fear of being stigmati6ed. Today
there is no fear because each recipient is given a beautiful plastic card with the American flag on it.
There is no longer a stigma. To make matters worse the government under the current administration
actually promotes and markets S3A1 to anyone they can find including college students/ 0ittle noticed
in the +$$, stimulus bill was a provision forcing all retailers who sell food to post a notice that the E-T
card is accepted. Many may have noticed these signs the last time they entered their favorite store.
*ncluding welfare, unemployment insurance, Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and veterans benefits,
a recent study estimated that up to 778 of Americans receive some sort of government check.
Who pays for all of this' 9learly the unemployed dont but unfortunately neither do many who work.
The most stunning statistic of all is that roughly 7:8 of all American workers pay no federal income ta!.
%ow can this be' Simple, if a persons credits and deductions add up to so much that the ta! refund
they receive is greater than the amount of federal ta! they paid into the system the previous year then
they have effectively paid no federal income ta!. They were given back all they paid in and in millions of
cases receive refunds for a greater amount then they paid in. )or the ;<8 of workers who do pay some
federal ta! this is grossly unfair. .ur ta! system has basically turned into another entitlement program
for millions. There has been a lot of talk about the rich not paying their fair share, but in fact the
wealthiest earners pay #$8 of all ta!es. What is it called when you accept the benefits of our nation but
pay no federal ta! at all' Several words come to mind.
=nfortunately millions of Americans have come to accept this entitlement mentality and demand more.
The conse"uences for our nation are dire. Add the 7<8 of workers who dont pay any federal ta! to the
tens of millions who arent working then throw in an ever increasing spending system to pay for all of
their benefits and it creates a witches brew of debt and decline.
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