Where did our Entiltlements come from?

Burt Folsum has the answer:

We had none of them 100 years ago—back when we had a national debt of $1.2 billion instead of the $16 trillion we have today. And much of our debt today is caused by spending on entitlements. Entitlements are rights to goods and services. The Founders wanted government limited to prevent politicians and voting groups from conniving to rob Peter (only one voter) to pay Paul and Mary (two voters).

The great change came with Franklin Roosevelt, especially his Economic Bill of Rights, which he proclaimed in 1944 as his program for America after World War II. Unlike the Founders, who promised free speech and freedom of religion, FDR promised the right to “a useful and remunerative job,” and also “the right of every family to a decent home; the right to a good education; and the right to adequate medical care.” The pursuit of these rights would guide Roosevelt, Truman, and much of the Democratic Party from the end of World War II until today. In other words, these entitlements—the right to a job, to education, to a house, and to medical care—have been key elements in the American political debate for nearly 70 years.

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