entitlement
Posted: Sun Feb 19, 2023 10:24 pm
This word has become the subject of argument in the U.S. in the comments following discussions about Social Security and Medicare.
Merriam-Webster defines it variously as "a right to benefits specified especially by law or contract" or "a government program providing benefits to members of a specified group" (among other definitions), so, strictly speaking, both of these programs are "entitlements", although detractors vociferously disagree.
Somehow, the concept has acquired a pejorative connotation, and it doesn't seem that this is likely to change in any future I can foresee.
Merriam-Webster defines it variously as "a right to benefits specified especially by law or contract" or "a government program providing benefits to members of a specified group" (among other definitions), so, strictly speaking, both of these programs are "entitlements", although detractors vociferously disagree.
Somehow, the concept has acquired a pejorative connotation, and it doesn't seem that this is likely to change in any future I can foresee.