No guilt about taking Social Security

This article was published in the April 29, 2010, issue of The News-Sentinel newspaper.
By Donna Volmerding
The letter from Dave and Becky Cooper in the April 14th paper piqued my interest because of its misunderstanding of “government aid.” To avoid any appearance of hypocrisy and contradiction, let me say that, as members of the Tea Party movement, neither my husband nor I receive unemployment benefits, Social Security, Social Security Disability, Medicare, Medicaid, veterans benefits or college financial aid. We also do not receive any pension funds.
However, when the time comes for me to sign up for Social Security, I will not feel hypocritical in any way. I won’t even feel a tinge of guilt. Why? Because I will be receiving MY MONEY!
When I first began working, I wanted to opt out of Social Security because I knew I could do better with a private savings account. I was not allowed to do that, so the government took my money, denying me a choice, and put it in the Social Security account.
If the government had not repeatedly raped that account to make up for profligate spending, the account would be solvent. And the Coopers want to make me and others like me feel guilty for accepting OUR MONEY?
The government doesn’t generate income or wealth; it simply takes income from those who earn it, then mollifies a sleeping electorate by calling it “government aid.” And we should feel fortunate that our benevolent “sugar daddy in the sky” bestows its crumbs of generosity on us.
For those who believe in the “redistribution of wealth,” I have this to say: We’ll start with your stuff first.