quote:Originally posted by Fighting Illini:quote:Originally posted by Mr.Dittohead:
AARP is a lobbying group, not a charity. They got Medicare Part D for you guys, the largest expansion of a entitlement program ever.
CEO salaries of lobbyists are based on performance. NFIB CEO makes millions, too.
Medicare might be poorly managed and underfunded, but for those who paid in their entire lives it's anything but an entitlement. You are mistaking medicare with food stamps, government housing, and other "actual" entitlement programs that eat away at this country's ability to meet its obligations to those who are actually productive in society.
I think I disagree with your definition of an entitlement program. It would seem to me that Medicare and Social Security are programs people pay into and are therefore "entitled" to draw from or use them. To me that is the definition of an entitlement program.
Welfare, food stamps, medicade etc are not entitlements , but just giveaways. Welfare was conceived as a way to lessen crime as it is preceived that one would possibally steal in order to obtain food and shelter for his/her family , and that welfare would be cheaper than further overloading the legal system and throwing people in jail or the pen for stealing.
Last I heard it cost about $45000 to house a jailbird for a year, so there may be some merit in that program. BTW, I didn't post that information to argue about, just saying it is something to consider.
Betternu may have to straighten us out on that point though.