Entitlement and the 47%

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Mitt Romney's 47%

There have been a couple of cowardly anonymous (always anonymous) commentators who have come after me regarding the above and stating that I am among the 47% of entitlement people included in Mitt Romney's statement and further stating that I am among the deadbeat dragging down the country. They do everything they can and say anything they want to make a point in favor of Obama and against Romney. They get down right personal and nasty with their snide remarks just like Obama did in the last debate. The don't like Senior citizens nor do they like themselves. They believe that "entitlements" are for everyone else but those who paid into the system. This is the latest one received yesterday:

You should understand the news better. Romney was talking about ALL 47% that don't pay taxes but have their hands out for money and free healthcare. Ryan was talking about the 30% of moochers, a category you also fall under.

The large majority of Medicare and Social Security recipients have paid payroll taxes, in many cases for decades. In my personal case, I paid into the system for 40 years. Seniors are not moochers. Most all of us owe nothing:  no mortgage, no car payment, a credit card we pay in full monthly. We were resourceful allowing us to retire. We are responsible citizens and we vote. In the vast majority of cases, we don't go out and ask for food stamps or housing subsidizes...we find a part-time job. We pay what we are billed for in services and taxes; we live within our means and in houses we can afford. We are not bankrupting  or scamming the system.

Although the government may include Social Security and Medicare as entitlements, I do not, nor do SS recipients, place themselves into this category. Seniors have paid into that system in order to draw money out of it when they retire...an annuity. There is no doubt that both of these programs must be overhauled so that they are sustainable well into the future. Mitt Romney's intention was unclear when he uttered his statement on the 47% but what he meant were those people getting something from the government for nothing and people who would rather have their hands out than work. Because of liberal socialistic government policy, we will continue to have people on welfare roles and taking advantage of America's generous and unsustainable programs.

Some (there are many, many more) of the federal assistance programs that Romney referred to are:

• 6.4% of U.S. households had someone enrolled in Medicaid (the health-care program for low-income Americans)
• 15.8% lived in a household receiving food stamps
• 4.5% of households received assistance with their rent
• 1.7% had a member receiving unemployment benefits.

But most of all, Mitt Romney is talking about those people who would rather soak the system instead of contributing. Take your illegal immigrant as an example--someone who crosses our border and gets free housing, food and medical assistance and who pays no income taxes and who has never contributed anything to support our government.

Romney and Ryan believe in Ben Franklin's 1776  statement:  "I think the best way of doing good to the poor, is not making them easy in poverty, but leading or driving them out of it."  Unlike the Democrats and President Obama, that's the Republican goal.