# What's an "entitlement?" **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 12, 2012, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-entitlement/643795 "2012-12-12T04:15:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_stamos_left_ear/32/3198_2.png) [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Stamos_Left_Ear)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-entitlement/643795/1 "2012-12-12T04:15:01Z")
Republicans have turned “entitlements” into quite a negative thing, something that comes about because lazy and shiftless Americans feel “entitled” to something (that Republicans feel they don’t really deserve). But then some claim that these “entitlements” include things that we all paid into and I find it difficult to believe that I don’t “deserve” Social Security when I paid into it all my life. Or Medicare, which I also paid into my whole life. And if we go with the “corporations are people, my friend” school of thought, what about corporate “entitlements”? Republicans don’t seem to being that up very much. It seems to me that before we can debate on eliminating or cutting funds for something, we should first have a working definition of what it is. So what’s an “entitlement?” ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-entitlement/643795/2 "2012-12-12T04:20:40Z")
> [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](#): > > Republicans have turned “entitlements” into quite a negative thing, something that comes about because lazy and shiftless Americans feel “entitled” to something (that Republicans feel they don’t really deserve). Cite? Because before we start a debate based on your premise, let’s make sure your premise is actually true. ---
**Author:** ![doreen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/858c86/32.png) [@doreen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/doreen)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 4:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-entitlement/643795/3 "2012-12-12T04:51:52Z")
The problem is that “entitlement” has multiple meanings, and they are being confused. There’s “sense of entitlement” which is often used to mean that the person doesn’t really deserve what they feel entitled to and there’s “entitlement program” which refers to a program where all eligible receive the benefit (such as Social Security). Because all eligible receive the benefit, it can be difficult to predict how much the program will cost each year. There are other programs, such as Section 8 housing assistance , which have a set amount of funding which means that some eligible people will not receive the benefit due to the funds running out. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-entitlement/643795/4 "2012-12-12T04:56:53Z")
“Entitlement”, generally stated in the plural, is defined as a modern conservative trick-word for “Social security, medicare and medicaid.” It’s used to avoid saying that you want to cut pensions and health care. Though admittedly, it’s also used to cover non-discretionary non-military, non-interest spending. Interest payments are never defined as entitlements. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 4:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-entitlement/643795/5 "2012-12-12T04:59:55Z")
Nor is veterans medical care. ---
**Author:** ![kaylasdad99](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kaylasdad99/32/3398_2.png) [@kaylasdad99](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kaylasdad99)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 5:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-entitlement/643795/6 "2012-12-12T05:02:26Z")
What I wrote on a friend’s facebook thread a couple of weeks ago: \*One problem is that the economic conservatives have cleverly used semantic judo to turn the word “entitlement” into a shibboleth. “Entitlement,” in the context of government spending simply means “money that the government is obliged to pay to entities who are entitled to it.” The payment of some contracts for services rendered, for instance, is actually a form of entitlement spending. But in a totally different context, the word “entitlement” can be used to describe a pathology of a narcissistic personality disorder wherein the subject feels he has a right to receive endlessly, without personally contributing anything. The semantic judo comes in when the two meanings are conflated, such that any participation by an individual in a program that pays out benefits to people who have paid into the program (such as SS and Medicare) can be framed as “a selfish undeserving brute is at the gates with a bunch of fellow thugs, demanding unfettered access to the Nation’s treasury.” And this is why we need GOOD teachers in our schools; so our kids can learn the critical thinking skills that will help them to NOT fall for that kind of crap.\* ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-entitlement/643795/7 "2012-12-12T05:04:43Z")
> [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](#): > > **What’s an “entitlement?”** Something I don’t get. If I get it, it’s a right, not an entitlement. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_stamos_left_ear/32/3198_2.png) [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Stamos_Left_Ear)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 6:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-entitlement/643795/8 "2012-12-12T06:01:58Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Cite? Because before we start a debate based on your premise, let’s make sure your premise is actually true. I will assume you were asleep during the recent election and Republican primary: [ul] [li][Rick Santorum Compares Entitlement Programs To ‘Guy With A Dime Bag’](http://www.mediaite.com/online/rick-santorum-compares-entitlement-programs-to-guy-with-a-dime-bag/)[/li][li][Newt Gingrich and Herman Cain “An Entitlement Society to an Empowerment Society”](http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/video/newt-gingrich-herman-cain-entitlement-society-empowerment-society-politics-14890168)[/li][li][Mitt Romney: “Will the United States be an Entitlement Society or an Opportunity Society?”](http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/story/2011-12-19/romney-us-economy-entitlements/52076252/1)[/li][li][Bill O’Reilly: How The Entitlement Society Makes America Weaker](http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2012/11/21/oreilly_how_the_entitlement_society_makes_america_weaker.html)[/li][li][RedState.com: “Can The Entitlement Society Destroy America”](http://www.redstate.com/littletboca/2012/09/10/can-the-entitlement-society-destroy-america/)[/li][/ul]There are many more examples, of course. I have trouble believing that the [“Welfare Queen”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welfare_queen) stereotype and who most often perpetuates it needed a cite to someone who has been paying attention for the past two decades… Hell, don’t you remember [Mitt Romney’s infamous 47% video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2gvY2wqI7M)? Here is the quote that many feel helped turn the election: > [@](#): > > “There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it – that that’s an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. And they will vote for this president no matter what. … These are people who pay no income tax. … [M]y job is not to worry about those people. I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives.” How does this quote - which according to many on the right was not a guy caught pandering with his pants down but [a guy speaking an unfortunate truth](http://dailycaller.com/2012/10/11/why-romneys-47-comment-is-fundamentally-right/) - be interpreted that those who desire/require/demand/deserve “entitlements” are anything positive? You can’t. You really can’t. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-entitlement/643795/9 "2012-12-12T06:29:59Z")
> [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](#): > > I will assume you were asleep during the recent election and Republican primary: > [ul] > [li][Rick Santorum Compares Entitlement Programs To ‘Guy With A Dime Bag’](http://www.mediaite.com/online/rick-santorum-compares-entitlement-programs-to-guy-with-a-dime-bag/)[/li][li][Newt Gingrich and Herman Cain “An Entitlement Society to an Empowerment Society”](http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/video/newt-gingrich-herman-cain-entitlement-society-empowerment-society-politics-14890168)[/li][li][Mitt Romney: “Will the United States be an Entitlement Society or an Opportunity Society?”](http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/opinion/forum/story/2011-12-19/romney-us-economy-entitlements/52076252/1)[/li][li][Bill O’Reilly: How The Entitlement Society Makes America Weaker](http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2012/11/21/oreilly_how_the_entitlement_society_makes_america_weaker.html)[/li][li][RedState.com: “Can The Entitlement Society Destroy America”](http://www.redstate.com/littletboca/2012/09/10/can-the-entitlement-society-destroy-america/)[/li][/ul]There are many more examples, of course. I have trouble believing that the [“Welfare Queen”](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Welfare_queen) stereotype and who most often perpetuates it needed a cite to someone who has been paying attention for the past two decades… If you want to discuss any of those cites, quote the parts that you think support your thesis. I’m not interested in wading through them to see if they do or not. > [@](#): > > Hell, don’t you remember [Mitt Romney’s infamous 47% video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M2gvY2wqI7M)? Here is the quote that many feel helped turn the election:How does this quote - which according to many on the right was not a guy caught pandering with his pants down but [a guy speaking an unfortunate truth](http://dailycaller.com/2012/10/11/why-romneys-47-comment-is-fundamentally-right/) - be interpreted that those who desire/require/demand/deserve “entitlements” are anything positive? You can’t. You really can’t. Yeah, I remember that well enough. And I remember that he was vilified by many in his own party for that statement. Your own cite, which you say supports it, does nothing of the sort. Let’s quote a few passages: > [@](#): > > Indeed, **most** of the so-called “entitled,” such as veterans and the disabled, deserve or need these government benefits. But we need to have a national discussion on how to cut entitlement costs before they bankrupt us. > \ > Today’s Medicare system is designed to enrich hospitals and doctors by encouraging them to provide the widest possible array of testing and choose the most expensive drugs. > > \ > > The “47 percent” should include doctors who derive huge income by using the most expensive drugs possible and reaping hundreds of thousands of dollars each year in extra Medicare payments and drug company rewards as a result. Emphasis added. ---
**Author:** ![gatorslap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gatorslap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gatorslap)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-entitlement/643795/10 "2012-12-12T07:24:21Z")
I’m curious what you believe the intent is behind the common Republican use of the word “entitlements”, if it’s not to make it sound bad. ---
**Author:** ![BrokenBriton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4bbf92/32.png) [@BrokenBriton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrokenBriton)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-entitlement/643795/11 "2012-12-12T07:37:04Z")
The intent is to induce an emotional reaction to a rational debate. Of course. And by doing so, avoid the debate but create a negative environment around it. It’s anti-intellectual in the, now, GOP tradition. ---
**Author:** ![RitterSport](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rittersport/32/6326_2.png) [@RitterSport](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RitterSport)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 1:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-entitlement/643795/12 "2012-12-12T13:20:55Z")
I thought entitlements, in the context of government spending, was that spending that didn’t have to be re-upped every year. Contrast that with discretionary spending, such as military spending, foreign aid, paying for dirty artwork, funding muppets, and so on. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_stamos_left_ear/32/3198_2.png) [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Stamos_Left_Ear)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 1:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-entitlement/643795/13 "2012-12-12T13:27:32Z")
Romney said what he said and many in the GOP supported him for it. The sites all show prominent Republicans - all potential nominees for President or the nominee himself or the right wing media - saying entitlements were bad, that people relying on them is bad, that too many people rely on them and are happy to rely on them. Sorry you cannot click links to see this. But I already quoted them all that needed to be to make my point. I had the misfortune of seeing [Sean Hannity](https://www.facebook.com/SeanHannity/posts/10152307985090389) and Newt Gingrich on Fox News ask “Have we become a handout nation” while at work one day after the election. You really think these two clowns were saying entitlements were hunky dory? Spoiler: They weren’t. Fuck man, just [look up “entitlement society” on Google](http://lmgtfy.com/?q=%22Entitlement+Society%22) to see the narrative or those responding to the narrative (not anyone denying the narrative exists). You think that term is one of endearment? I don’t know what kind of cognitive dissonance it takes to not have heard this or believe it despite a ton of citations, but if it’s not pretty obvious to you then there’s nothing left to talk about. Feel free to leave this thread feeling vindicated that the GOP loves entitlements and those who use them… :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![ladyfoxfyre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 1:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-entitlement/643795/14 "2012-12-12T13:34:48Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Yeah, I remember that well enough. And I remember that he was vilified by many in his own party for that statement. Your own cite, which you say supports it, does nothing of the sort. Let’s quote a few passages: Oh? They vilified him? Because I seem to remember them saying that his statement, though “inelegantly spoken”, was [pretty much correct](http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-57514910-503544/conservatives-defend-romneys-47-percent-remark-/). > [@](#): > > Jonah Goldberg at the National Review argued that “lots of people, most importantly lots of independents, understand the basic and irrefutable point that there are too many people who feel entitled to consume a lot more tax dollars than they contribute.” I know there are a couple of people in that article that call him a jackass for saying it, but there are a lot more who are saying “yeah, how he said it was bad, but it raises an important point…entitlements!” ---
**Author:** ![John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_stamos_left_ear/32/3198_2.png) [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Stamos_Left_Ear)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-entitlement/643795/15 "2012-12-12T13:40:10Z")
> [@gatorslap](#): > > I’m curious what you believe the intent is behind the common Republican use of the word “entitlements”, if it’s not to make it sound bad. Yeah, me too. In spite of all evidence to the contrary… ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 2:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-entitlement/643795/16 "2012-12-12T14:29:13Z")
> [@gatorslap](#): > > I’m curious what you believe the intent is behind the common Republican use of the word “entitlements”, if it’s not to make it sound bad. “Entitlement” doesn’t sound bad to me. It’s just shorthand for government provided benefits like Social Security and Medicare. I’m sure there are many Republicans who feel that some subset of people are “lazy and shiftless” and are gaming the system, but I don’t see any evidence most Republicans believe that most people receiving those benefits are “lazy and shiftless”. If someone wants to whine about the mean old Republicans winning yet another semantic war, that’s all fine and good. But the fact of the matter is, the term has entered the American lexicon. My advice would be to focus on the next semantic battle and see if you can win that one. Or, many Democrats have embraced the term “Obamacare” and and run with it. If it’s a popular program (and both Social Security and Medicare are), then you’re not going to make people dislike it by playing with semantics. _You’re damn right I’m “entitled” to Social Security-- I paid into the system with every paycheck I earned!_ ---
**Author:** ![John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_stamos_left_ear/32/3198_2.png) [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Stamos_Left_Ear)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-entitlement/643795/17 "2012-12-12T15:17:23Z")
Ctrl+F “Most” Huh, my OP never used the phrase “most Republicans” at all - yet you underline it as if it’s an important point! Interesting that you are debating something that wasn’t actually said! Although the fact is that the guy they chose to run for President felt this way. And most of the guys who were in the running also felt that way. As do the pundits at Fox News and [RedState.com](http://RedState.com). So it’s certainly fair to say that there is no shortage of prominent Republicans who feel this way. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 3:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-entitlement/643795/18 "2012-12-12T15:26:54Z")
Lazy and shiftless? No. There is certainly a strong strain that runs in the GOP which is averse to creating what they call a “culture of dependency”, in which Democrats create ever increasing benefits (or entitlements) that get more and more people “hooked on handouts”. In it’s crassest form, you can hear it when Romney talked about voters getting gifts from Obama. That’s different from saying recipients of programs like Social Security are “lazy and shiftless”. Oh, and if you want to see one of the semantic wars the Democrats did win, just look at the use of the term “Bush tax cuts”. Nothing wrong with trying to frame the debate, and maybe the Democrats would do well to work harder on that. But you gotta let go of “entitlements”. That train has left the station-- just do a google search and you’ll see it used by every major news outlet in the US. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_stamos_left_ear/32/3198_2.png) [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Stamos_Left_Ear)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-entitlement/643795/19 "2012-12-12T15:44:28Z")
One more time… With feeling: > [@](#): > > "There are 47 percent of the people who will vote for the president no matter what. All right, there are 47 percent who are with him, who are dependent upon government, who believe that they are victims, who believe the government has a responsibility to care for them, \*\*who believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it – that that’s an entitlement. And the government should give it to them. \*\*And they will vote for this president no matter what. … These are people who pay no income tax. … [M]y job is not to worry about those people. **I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility and care for their lives."** This was the Republican Presidential candidate. This is what he said. Those words. You really think getting “lazy and shiftless” is out of line when he said the bolded things? Really? Lazy isn’t “(They) believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it – that that’s an entitlement. And the government should give it to them?” Shiftless (defined as lazy and lacking ambition) isn’t “I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility?” Really? Do you like to use bendy straws when grasping at them? You know, to get a better grip or something? And the “entitlement” train hasn’t left the station since entitlement reform is a major theme in what Republicans want from Obama in our very current fiscal cliff negotiations. From the very recent date of yesterday: > [@](#): > > Speaker of the House John Boehner announced Tuesday he’s still waiting to hear back from the White House on what specific spending cuts the Obama administration would make to entitlements in order to avoid the fiscal cliff. > > [US News & World Report](http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/2012/12/11/boehner-and-obama-meet-but-fiscal-cliff-progress-hinges-on-entitlements) So… If as you said it’s just framing the debate, then we must define it. So I repeat: What’s an entitlement? Other than something unspecified that many prominent Republicans don’t think many Americans deserve? (Which is the case whether you acknowledge it or not.) ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 12, 2012, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-entitlement/643795/20 "2012-12-12T22:09:19Z")
> [@John\_Stamos\_Left\_Ear](#): > > One more time… With feeling: > > This was the Republican Presidential candidate. This is what he said. Those words. You really think getting “lazy and shiftless” is out of line when he said the bolded things? Really? > > Lazy isn’t “(They) believe that they are entitled to health care, to food, to housing, to you-name-it – that that’s an entitlement. And the government should give it to them?” > > Shiftless (defined as lazy and lacking ambition) isn’t “I’ll never convince them they should take personal responsibility?” > > Really? > > Do you like to use bendy straws when grasping at them? You know, to get a better grip or something? No, I don’t agree that “lazy and shiftless” is an accurate paraphrase of what Romney said. And I don’t really think it even matters because his comment is not reflective of mainstream Republican thinking. He has become irrelevant to the political process so soon after his lost election, in large part because of his gaffe about the 47% and the “gifts” Obama used to buy votes. > [@](#): > > And the “entitlement” train hasn’t left the station since entitlement reform is a major theme in what Republicans want from Obama in our very current fiscal cliff negotiations. From the very recent date of yesterday: > > So… If as you said it’s just framing the debate, then we must define it. So I repeat: What’s an entitlement? Yes, "entitlement’ reform is a major them of what the GOP wants from Obama, but trying to get people to not use that term is a lost cause. That train has left the station. As to what’s an entitlement, it’s a government program, based on legislation that isn’t up for renewal every year, that takes money out of the taxes raised by the government and distribute it to the citizens as a benefit. The big 3 are Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. Some others would be: Welfare, Unemployment Insurance, anything that is mandated by law to be paid out in the future. [I think wikipedia says it pretty well:](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Expenditures_in_the_United_States_federal_budget) > [@](#): > > Discretionary spending requires an annual appropriation bill, which is a piece of legislation. Discretionary spending is typically set by the House and Senate Appropriations Committees and their various subcommittees. Since the spending is typically for a fixed period (usually a year), it is said to be under the discretion of the Congress. Some appropriations last for more than one year (see Appropriation bill for details). In particular, multi-year appropriations are often used for housing programs and military procurement programs. > > Direct spending, also known as mandatory spending, refers to spending enacted by law, but not dependent on an annual or periodic appropriation bill. Most mandatory spending consists of entitlement programs such as Social Security benefits, Medicare, and Medicaid. These programs are called “entitlements” because individuals satisfying given eligibility requirements set by past legislation are entitled to Federal government benefits or services. Many other expenses, such as salaries of Federal judges, are mandatory, but account for a relatively small share of federal spending. Note that The Big 3 make up 43% of the Federal Budget. [And note that those 3 will equal all tax revenues by about 2070, according to the GAO.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:GAO_Slide.png). Hence the need to reign that spending in. Actually, hence the need to reign in all spending, including Defense. So, call them anything you like-- golden gifts from government or the barest needs for survival-- they are huge and growing. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-an-entitlement/643795.md?page=2)