"Entitlements"

Much of the debate about the budget and deficit has centered around an attempt to cut Social Security and Medicare/Medicaid. While the debate is controversial, the language used in the debate (on both sides) is incorrect. Social Security Medicare and Medicaid are NOT "entitlements".  We need to be more precise in how we speak about this issue. The language we choose to use is reflected in our politics and politics tends to distort. To be clear about the language can inform the politics, or so we hope.

The word "entitlement" comes from the French word "intitulare" ( to give a name to, to entitle) and the Latin "titulus" (distinction, claim to fame, honor, title) [myEtymology: http://bit.ly/16zxSpJ,  4 April 2013] Thus, the original meaning of the word is "to give a title". In this sense Social Security, Medicare/Medicaid are clearly not entitlements. There are no entitlements in the United States in the original sense of the word, which refers to giving a title of nobility to someone.

The Constitution of the United States says this: "No Title of Nobility shall be granted by the United States: And no Person holding any Office of Profit or Trust under them, shall, without the Consent of the Congress, accept of any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign " (Article I, Section 9).  Entitlements don't exist here, therefore Social Security/Medicare are not entitlements.

The word, however, is most commonly used this way: "the right to guaranteed benefits under a government program, as Social Security ..." (Dictionary.com: http://bit.ly/Zel0Gl; 4 April 2013). Even this definition is incorrect.  Social Security and Medicare not guaranteed benefits nor are they good deeds or gifts, per se, but earned benefits into which we pay our entire working lives.

The word "benefit" comes from the Latin, "benefactum" (good deed). Though Social Security and Medicare can, I suppose, be considered to be good deeds because they help people in their old age and disability, they are not good deeds in the sense of unearned gifts. We do not normally pay for a good deed.  Indeed, we work very hard and pay into all three, as we pay for health insurance or life insurance. Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid are best to be understood as "insurance programs" which ensure our well-being through pre-paid policies or taxes. If we speak of this trio of programs this way perhaps we would be less hasty about making cuts.

It is easy to talk about cutting a program which is a good deed or unearned gift but not so easy when we speak of cutting insurance programs. Indeed, most of the time, the government is very harsh with companies which do not fund their pension programs fully. If companies are forced to do what is right with their employees pensions (which ARE usually GIVEN),  how much more should the government fully fund Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid? 

The bottom line is this: say what you mean and mean what you say.