Somebody tried to imply that it’s hypocritical to ever accept an entitlement program if you are opposed to them. By entitlement programs I’m talking about government funded hand outs like food stamps, section 8 housing, WIC, Medicare/Medicaid, etc.
OK, so on principal, I disagree with these programs because they (the Government) take money involuntarily (excepting those citizens who are for the programs) from someone who earned it via taxation. And re-distribute that to people who did not earn that money via these various programs mentioned above. I call this forced charity. Some folks however, believe it’s their civic duty to provide these services, many have even come to believe they are entitled to them by the pervasive philosophy of Altruism that has taken over our society. I, on the other hand, believe that if we had a true free market economy and we were to get rid of the welfare state, reduce government to the bare necessity (because why would we want anything more of it?), then most Americans who work, would be able to provide for themselves.
Charity is a good thing, I believe in charity. But it’s not charity if I don’t have a choice in the matter. I’m forced through various taxes to pay for these programs. Yes at my income level I get a certain amount of money back from the IRS at tax time each year. It is not however more than I paid in. I get some back because I paid more than I should have. I am an American tax payer. If you get more than you paid in each year, you are not a tax payer. You are a tax on those of us who do pay taxes.
Enough of that, you know my philosophy on the matter. That being said I can get to the heart of the matter. Does opposing the existence on principal of these programs make a tax payer, who is forced through circumstance to partake in these programs to survive, a hypocrite? Or are they a victim of the very system they oppose? I say the latter. If you paid for it, and by paying for it are put in a position that you need to use it to survive, then you are victim of it.
Does it make the slave, who doesn’t want to be a slave, who opposes all slavery, a hypocrite for accepting the masters gruel?
Please feel free to comment, give feedback, etc.
