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The United States spends far more on entitlements than we do on the military. Social Security 33% of the budget, Medicare 27%, the military is down at 16% -- fa

The United States spends far more on entitlements than we do on the military. Social Security 33% of the budget, Medicare 27%, the military is down at 16% -- far less than it was in the middle of the twentieth century. If you want money, you need to reform entitlements.

Lawtonfogle 11y ago
>entitlements Such a weird word. By its very core, it is about things you are entitled to. Like SS, which you are entitled to because you paid into it. But yet calling someone entitled, and the use of the word entitlements, is meant to describe someone thinking they are entitled to something they aren't. It is a word that in practice means the opposite of what it should mean in theory, especially when used in a political sense.
- underdown 11y ago
  Under the social security umbrella there's also supplemental security income, that has nothing to do with what you or your spouse paid in. Medicare has medicaid, same story.
drzaiusapelord 11y ago
While is is generally true, it does not include war spending. Afghanistan and Iraq were not paid out with just the regular military budget. The Iraq conflict alone cost $1.7T. Also, social spending will always be more for any well run nation, so that shouldn't be a surprise. We have a social security system that we pay into that everyone is part of. Its a huge program and calling something I'm paying a lot into right now an entitlement is disingenious. Total military spending worldwide is probably a better metric. USA is first at 580b, China at 128b, SA at 80n, and Russia at 70b. Personally, I have no problem with spending on this level. I believe the USA is the best nation to have this type of global policing power and maintaining it should be one of our top national goals. Especially in regards to helping and continuing to work with our NATO, Korean, and Japanese allies and to protect them from hostile foreign powers.

Lawtonfogle 11y ago

>entitlements Such a weird word. By its very core, it is about things you are entitled to. Like SS, which you are entitled to because you paid into it. But yet calling someone entitled, and the use of the word entitlements, is meant to describe someone thinking they are entitled to something they aren't. It is a word that in practice means the opposite of what it should mean in theory, especially when used in a political sense.

underdown 11y ago
Under the social security umbrella there's also supplemental security income, that has nothing to do with what you or your spouse paid in. Medicare has medicaid, same story.

drzaiusapelord 11y ago

While is is generally true, it does not include war spending. Afghanistan and Iraq were not paid out with just the regular military budget. The Iraq conflict alone cost $1.7T. Also, social spending will always be more for any well run nation, so that shouldn't be a surprise. We have a social security system that we pay into that everyone is part of. Its a huge program and calling something I'm paying a lot into right now an entitlement is disingenious. Total military spending worldwide is probably a better metric. USA is first at 580b, China at 128b, SA at 80n, and Russia at 70b. Personally, I have no problem with spending on this level. I believe the USA is the best nation to have this type of global policing power and maintaining it should be one of our top national goals. Especially in regards to helping and continuing to work with our NATO, Korean, and Japanese allies and to protect them from hostile foreign powers.