Taking Your Entitlements

I've read a lot of articles and watched many programs concerning the quest to cut Social Security (and Medicare). One question I have never seen answered is: Who gets the money? 

• Are they going to cancel it and then send each of us a check for all of the money we've put into SS? Somehow, I doubt it. 

• Are they going to provide us compounded interest for the years, possibly decades, they've had our money? I'm confident this won't happen. 

• Are they saying they want to cancel it and keep the money? This seems all too likely, to me. 

I will grant that Social Security was created a bit awkwardly. It is dependent on the next generation paying enough into it to afford the services for the previous generation (and that previous generation's payments created the nest egg for the entire program). This means that, as the Baby Boomers retire, the burden will be greater on the remaining workers (a smaller number of people). However, Boomers are working longer and dying quicker than other generations, so the end results likely won't be as ominous as some predict. And, once that bubble of people is through the system, it will go back to working as intended. We don't have to cancel the entire thing in order to survive the Boomer Bulge in SS.

Also, why do people allow certain politicians to make the word "entitlement" sound like a bad word without pushing back at them I mean, the term stems from the fact you paid into a program and are *entitled* to the benefits that the program provides. How is that a bad thing? We have plenty of other areas where we pay people in advance and then are entitled to services. For example, after paying every year into your insurance coverage, you are entitled to repairs on your car if you are in a collision. If you buy tickets in advance for a concert, movie, or play, you are entitled to a seat at the show when you arrive.

I'm not sure why certain people are okay with the threat of a few taking away access to things that everyone is entitled to, should they need it. Yes, you might not need child care, food stamps, or other forms of assistance now, but should that change, they are there for you because you (and millions of others) paid into thos programs. It's a "Just In Case" situation, with most. Social Security is not a JIC program, however; everyone is entitled to thier share based on how much they paid in and for how long. It is meant to supplement whatever retirement you have from your job, your 401k, your pension, or your savings.

I think we all need to ask ourselves, why do some politicians want to cancel these successful programs? What do they gain? Who really benefits from these actions?