roachboy, in all fairness, he asked what it means to you.
And personally, entitlement, as a word, does indeed conjure up images of wealth redistribution to those who did nothing to earn it. Please note however, that to me this is separate from the idea of a safety net.
I assume you are familiar with, if not actually have read Ayn Rand. While overly verbose, I rather enjoyed Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead. I also agree that there is a mindset among some that they "deserve" something they didn't earn. Where I disagree with her is that I think that a society should also be compassionate towards those who cannot help themselves or who just want a leg up out of their troubles.
That is why I support welfare reform yet not abolishing the system.
So maybe it's just semantics, but yes, I don't have good thoughts associated with this particular word.
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"Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience." – C. S. Lewis
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