I just read Mike Lofgren's excellent piece on the GOP, and it touched upon a massive peeve of mine: the calling of Social Security and Medicare 'entitlements'.
Yes, I know, technically, we are entitled to the benefits for which we have paid, so it's not incorrect language, but, as Lofgren says:
You know that Social Security and Medicare are in jeopardy when even Democrats refer to them as entitlements. "Entitlement" has a negative sound in colloquial English: somebody who is "entitled" selfishly claims something he doesn't really deserve. Why not call them "earned benefits," which is what they are because we all contribute payroll taxes to fund them? That would never occur to the Democrats. Republicans don't make that mistake; they are relentlessly on message: it is never the "estate tax," it is the "death tax."
I've noticed that we use this term quite a lot on this site as well. So, for a Labor Day resolution, can we call Social Security and Medicare something else that doesn't fall into the wingnut "entitlement society" bullshit line of thinking?
That's all -- nothing deeper than that. Thanks for reading, and have a happy Labor Day.