During the national debate over our ballooning debt, there has been a fair amount of talk about entitlements. In that context, “entitlements” refers to social programs such as Medicaid, Social Security, disability, and the like – programs intended to help members of society who are less fortunate and more in need. It is not uncommon to hear a disparaging tone from those speaking of entitlements, particularly when the speakers are paying into the system but not receiving benefits from the programs.
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