One word recently being bandied about by politicians is “entitlements,” and how there is a need to move away from this mentality. Agreed, and it needs to begin with those making these statements.
Elected officials seem to be entitled to many perks, from franking (mailing self-promotional materials to constituents under the guise of being a report card), to gifts (from material goods to services, which are to be reported for tax purposes), to all-expenses paid speaking engagements, to compensation granted by voters – and themselves. A pyramid of position power, pay and perks -- seen at its worst at the federal level.
Salaries and the benefits generally aren’t too shabby, as contrasted to what the majority of American citizens can access. Federal legislators (those we vote into office) and political appointees (with qualifications based on who you know rather than experience), enjoy what has become the new gold standard all other working Americans aspire to.
Do you get a say in setting your salary next year, with an automatic increase unless you act to stop it? Why are elected officials entitled to raises each year? How many days of paid leave do you get a year? Oh, you're self-employed or commission-based and so if you take time away, you don’t earn anything? How many vacation days do you take a year? Can you afford to travel anywhere without incurring debt? How many weeks of paid time away are elected officials entitled to?
Does your job pay you enough to where you can pay yourself first (make a contribution to a personal savings account), plus cover housing, insurance, food and gasoline costs? Does your job even provide a retirement or pension program? Most employers now have some type of retirement savings program, such as a 401k option, but many have “retired” pension plans.
Personal savings, individual retirement plans, company plans and social security are all supposed to be “eggs” in our retirement baskets, yet many remain under-funded due to rising costs or are threatened now that we’ve been contributing to them for years --401k mutual funds are still susceptible to slight stock market swings, and contributions to social security (both from individual workers and employers matching amounts), have been raided to balance the federal budget for decades. Many pension plans promised to new hires years ago have evaporated, as have a pledge to cover retiree's medical insurance expenses. Plan to balance that type of budget.
Do you know what state and federal politicians are entitled to for retirement, even if voters turn them out after only one term in office? (You’re entitled to be appalled by this answer).
How about medical insurance benefits? Are these even available to you through your employer? Can you still afford to access this insurance, or are these costs exceeding any annual salary increases? Elected officials, and their family members, are entitled to some of the best health care in the nation. While they are in office and for as long as they live after leaving office. And if they don’t feel well, they have immediate access to some of the finest medical facilities where they don’t have to wait weeks to see a physician.
Here’s a challenge. Anywhere you travel or live, check out the local grocer or convenience store. Scan the local newspaper. You will always be able to find a fund drive to help a family meet medical expenses, whether they are without insurance or for costs which exceed insurance coverage – or are denied coverage. So not only are these individuals and the ones who love them challenged with addressing the medical issues – doctor’s appointments, travel plans, lab work, loss of work, physical and mental frailty, co-payments and filing myriad insurance forms – they are also burdened with worrying about being swallowed by related debt. Talk about being buried alive.
Your challenge is to find one instance where these local fund drives are for the benefit of a state or elected official. We've never seen it in over 50 years, but personally know over 50 families who have been financially impacted due to medical needs or lacked access to medical care.
Until every American is entitled to the same medical access at the same cost as politicians, and until we are all entitled to the same retirement plans as they are, I don’t want to hear another single politician utter the word “entitlement.” None of them are entitled to talk about entitlements while they are on the public dole. That’s why it used to be called “public service.”