Social Security has been a buzzword since the election, used by both sides of the political spectrum for their goals. Do these people really care about it or are they just using it as a scare tactic for the elderly?

Some people, like President Bush, see a broken system and are taking “preemptive” steps to ensure its long-term viability for those of us who want to take care of ourselves. But there are others who are always looking for something free.

You know the type: no motivation to better themselves or do more than the status quo. These people are exactly the type who want Social Security and the rest of the entitlement programs left as is. There is a growing anger towards this type of attitude. As people have started looking around more since Sept. 11, they have seen something that is a nasty by-product of the new deal: extremely lazy people.

People wonder why they should save for retirement when they have Social Security. Why get a job when you can get free food and money through the government? I am not saying we shouldn’t take care of people who cannot take care of themselves – we should. But there are perfectly healthy people out there who aren’t working because they are comfortable with their no-work, all-play lifestyle.

It isn’t just Social Security that needs an overhaul; Welfare, food stamps and WIC need help too. Some people say we don’t spend enough money on taking care of the poor. If you add up all of the money spent on social issues in the 2006 proposed budget, you get almost $55 billion. I’m not sure how much people expect the government to spend taking care of them, but I would say we have about reached our limit.

American society has mutated into something FDR never intended it to be. The sooner we fix Social Security and other entitlement programs, the sooner people can learn a better way to make a living – working for it.

Steve Funaro is a senior history major and a member of the College Republicans at NKU. You can contact Steve at SFunaro@gmail.com.