Hal Cohen -- World News Trust
Jan. 18, 2009 -- Update on a theme:
When they came for the homeless, I said nothing-
For I was not homeless
When they came for the poor, I said nothing-
For I was not poor
When they came for the unemployed, I said nothing-
For I was not unemployed
When the came for the part-time worker, I said nothing-
For I did not work part time
When they came for me, no one said a thing,
For the rich don’t give a shit.
Like so many others, I am excited about the incoming Obama Administration and a new direction for our country. In the interests of disclosure, yes, I pulled a lever for Senator Obama. That being said, I wish to offer my advice to our President-elect. Over the last several weeks, indeed the issue that led to your breakaway has been the economy. There can also be no doubt that a majority of Americans want out of Iraq. But as these issues have dominated news coverage, entitlements have been a silent drag on our social progress and they need to end.
As the “Most liberal senator,” a title rooted more in rhetoric than reality, many people would think me insane to suggest that Welfare, Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid could possibly end in an Obama Administration. They would be correct. Despite my many claims to the contrary, I am not insane. So how do I reconcile the seeming contradiction I have just presented?
The truth is that I do not wish to end the programs. I want to retire the term “entitlements.” It sends the wrong message. The implicit message in entitlements is that people are receiving something that they did not earn but to which they have the right. Just this past week a Republican official actually said, and I’m paraphrasing, that at least slaves had to work to earn their food and shelter -- as opposed to those freeloaders on welfare.
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