[twinklesweep]

So often, depending on the situation, people will say “But I have no choice.”

I venture to guess that in many (most?) instances when people say this, the truth is that they DO have choice, but the alternatives are distasteful and they simply prefer the easy way out. A good example are those, to use the old and trite expression, who insist on having their cake and eating it too!

And, there are a handful of instances when people truly do NOT have a choice. In many (most?) of these instances it may result from choices they made in the past that are now set in concrete in the present. The same good example applies about insisting on having their cake and eating it too, likely in the more distant past.

And to make a specific statement, Social Security is NOT an entitlement or a form of welfare! In most instances people paid Social Security taxes through their working years and, though indirect, in retirement they are receiving back what they put in.

Additionally, Social Security was structured to be a social net for workers who became disabled during their working years and for underage children of disabled or deceased workers. Those who became disabled during their working years have paid in up to that point. Deceased workers, when still alive, paid into the system before passing, so Social Security support of their orphans is similarly NOT an entitlement.

So, those born disabled or becoming disabled before beginning their working years are the ONLY ones who might be considered to be receiving an entitlement in the Social Security system. And for those who object to society having some responsibility for fellow citizens who fall into situations like these, we can always remember that there ARE other solutions.