Why do people imagine that they are entitled to Social Security?

Social security is one of those programs that have been called an “entitlement”.

Because of this misuse of the word, people have actually begun to imagine that they are, indeed, entitled to it.

But why do people imagine that?

Robert Samuelson, in a recent article, reminded us all that in 1960 the Supreme Court (Flemming v. Nestor), expressly rejected the argument that people have a contractual right to Social Security. It cited the 1935 Social Security Act: “The right to alter, amend, or repeal any provision of this Act is hereby reserved to Congress.” Meaning, Congress can change the program whenever it wants. And they have, many times since 1935.

The only other argument that anybody can make regarding their entitlement is the fact that if somebody pays 6+% into the system for their working life, they ought to expect to get it back.

But that money is gone. Not one red cent of what you or I have ever given up is actually there. It was spent, and now it is gone. The only way future recipients will ever get their money back is if some other poor sucker pays into the system in the future. And that will only happen if Congress continues to maintain the program.

Believe me, when my children come of age, they will be voting for reps that are opposed to continue the program. I already told them not to worry about me, but to look our for themselves.

So given these unpleasant truths, why do people still imagine that they are “entitled”?