U.S. Government shuts down.

[FireIceTalon]

Yea when I hear the word "entitlement", it usually has a social privilege or ruling class sentiment behind it.

There are some legitimate forms of entitlement though, like social security. If one paid into it, it seems only fair that the federal government pays it to those who are entitled to it. There is the well known problem now of course, that more people are retiring than entering the workforce which creates a dangerous paradox - but the starting point of this problem here is capitalism and not SS itself (see the second half of the Engels quote in my sig). But unfortunately, this has created a socially constructed division between my generation and my parents generation, where the two generations have come to clash. The Baby Boomers hate my generation (X) or the newer generations because they feel like we are lazy, want everything handed to us, etc. They were raised under the so-called bourgeois 'Protestant work ethic'...and my generation hates theirs because we feel like we are going to have it much harder than they did (and we probably are), and that they basically used up all the social benefits and there will be no social security for us. Further, some of us see their generation as being the primary one who controls private capital, and calls us lazy yet won't hire us when we apply for a job. That, and there is a larger percentage of my generation and the younger generations that reject bourgeois values relative to the Baby Boomers. But many Baby Booms can't retire already now as it is, because SS is rarely enough to supplement the cost of living - especially at an age when you are usually having more healthcare costs. Compound that, with the rising costs of education and student loan debt being higher than credit card debt, and the result of all this is finger pointing and scapegoating by both sides, and even ageism in some cases, which is just another division of labor that stratifies workers ever more.

For my part specifically, this is really sad, because it is neither generations fault. It is simply the workings of capitalism at play here. One solution of course, to amend the social security problem would be to tax the ruling class more (like WAY more), but you know they will fight this tooth and nail to the bitter end. And likely, they will win, because of their superior social and political control within the capitalist framework. If things get bad enough, the state is likely to make some concessions to quell growing working class rage, so the US doesn't experience a "1917". Other solutions, like raising the retirement age, privatizing SS, or only allowing it to individuals below a certain income level are simply out of the question as well. So, what gives? American capitalism is bursting at the seams. This system is on its deathbed.