General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: They should not be called entitlements.. they are earned benefits!! [View all]muriel_volestrangler
(101,405 posts)This is what being a human being is about - we collect in groups, and agree on rules on how we live with each other. If you are a US citizen over 18, you get to vote on the maintenance of the laws.
The laws provide a framework for recognising what is your property, as opposed to someone else's. If you didn't have a government for that, you'd be defending it with your fists and stones, and you'd lose to someone bigger than you. The government also protects that property for you, both from outside and inside the country. It also maintains institutions like public schools; most Americans benefited from them, and they, in turn, keep the society going. These people who run society also pay into, and benefit from, social security, Medicare, etc.
Human life cannot exist in a vacuum; you need someone else to have children with, for instance. You cannot pretend that you can live completely outside society. You certainly can't pretend that while using a computer.