The GOP has done a great job of redefining the word entitlement to build their base make them feel that the people who use programs like SNAP, Medicaid, Medicare and even Social Security are taking something away from them because they feel they are entitled to use these programs.
Deferring to the dictionary, entitlement is defined as a noun meaning the fact of having a right to something; the amount to which a person has a right: the belief that one is the inherently deserving money of privileges or special treatment.
It’s time to break down each facet of the definition for a clearer picture of what is really happening. First of all, people aren’t born with a SNAP or Medicaid card in their mouths. In fact, before one applies to these programs, it’s usually after they’ve paid for it through their taxes from working. These “entitlement programs” are often the last recourse for most. People are not longing to be welfare queens and kings as the right would have you believe.
One of the most degrading experiences happens at the Social Services office. The moment you walk in, you’re a slacker who wants to live high off the hog on the good working people’s dime. Far from it, actually. President Trump, who is known for not paying his debt, can get larger loans over a meal and a handshake. Whereas, anyone applying for SNAP, Medicaid or Social Security has to be prepared to bring in every paper documenting their lives from bank statements, housing receipts, medical bills, social security cards and any other piece of paper for every aspect of their lives, for what most times doesn’t amount to a lot of money or help. Additionally, they are often treated pretty poorly. I realize social workers have quite a task on their hands, only sometimes, they can be dismissive and degrading. Would any sane person willingly put themselves through this treatment unless it was necessary?
That takes me to the final aspect of the definition, which I think is more exact. The belief one is inherently deserving money, privileges or special handling. That sounds more like the Koch brothers, Donald Trump, Jared Kushner and people of that ilk. Think about it, they have been dying to destroy safety net programs through privatization or re-writing it to favor the wealthy for bigger tax breaks, like the health care program currently being worked on behind closed doors with no Democrats. For one minute, do you believe it’s to form a gentler, more inclusive health care plan to help the disabled, elderly or retired? Heck, do you think they are thinking about the middle class and their children? No, it’s always to benefit the rich. We learned the hard way that trickle-down economics doesn’t work. It seems to make them hold on to their money even tighter and what trickles downs smells to the high heavens.
It is time Democrats call a spade a spade and take a card from their deck. We need to show the 99 % they have essentially been shooting themselves in the foot every time they go into the voting booth. Particularly with the GOP’s mean version of health care for Americans. It’s time to refine the meaning of entitlement and circulate to get into America’s lexicon before the midterm elections. This time more than ever before, it’s really a matter of life and death.