Entitlement: 1 a: the state or condition of being entitled : RIGHT b: a right to benefits specified especially by law or contract 2: a government program providing benefits to members of a specified group; also : funds supporting or distributed by such a program 3: belief that one is deserving of or entitled to certain privileges.

--Merriam-Webster Online

If TARP is the first domino, and the financial bail-out the second, the third in line for political/public scrutiny is sure to be "entitlements."

I really dislike this word, as I perceive it to be a loaded euphemism for Social Security. It's not the first or second definitions of entitlement, per Merriam-Webster Online, that bother me. These definitions are simply stated facts: Under the existing law, members of a specific group (in this case, people who have paid into Social Security and who reach a certain age) are provided with a benefit.

The definition also uses the word "contract." I have no problem with this, either. Those of us who work, and have had no choice about if, whether or how much to pay into the system, have an agreement with the government. We concede to let the government withhold a substantial portion of the money we have earned from every single paycheck in exchange for benefits to be paid to us down the road.

I remember the very first time I received a paycheck, when I was in my early 20's. I'd been counting on every penny of my slim salary for living expenses. What a shock to see how much had been taken out for this then too remote to even conceptualize notion of "retirement." I must admit that on some levels, the amount taken out for Social Security, taxes, healthcare, 401(k)s and God knows what else, has never lost its shock value.

But here's the thing: I may have disliked the chunk of income that went missing from my paycheck every other week. But I never thought to question that grandma and grandpa and later mom and dad weren't deserving of their Social Security benefits. Society acknowledging the reality of physical and mental diminishments that come with age, and taking care of the elderly was the reality within which our generation was raised.

So, this brings us to the third, loaded definition: last on the list, but having inexorably risen to the top like curd in a bottle of sour milk. "Entitlement: Belief that one is deserving of or entitled to certain privileges." An example of common usage, please? Okay: how about "This selfish generation of Boomers believe that they deserve special privileges as their entitlement." This is the language of us vs. them: of blame and of shame.

I think you get the gist of it. For starters, what does "belief" have to do with anything? We believe in the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus, we do not "believe" in all the money that was taken out of our paychecks to help our parents and grandparents nor do we "believe" that we have an agreement that we will receive benefits in turn.

How about the word "privilege"? Merriam-Webster to the rescue, again: "Privilege: A right or immunity granted as a peculiar benefit, advantage, or favor." Social Security: a favor? And finally: "Deserve": "Suitable for a reward." Social Security: a reward?

When we use the word "entitlement," are we really meaning to say that Social Security is a favor only to be granted as a reward for those who we believe are deserving of it? And that this understanding of this "entitlement" is a matter of taking personal advantage for one's self at the expense of others?

If so, how far the understanding of entitlements has eroded! In fact, when you read the history of Social Security, you will discover that the generation of young adults of the day were actually relieved that the traditional private burden of taking care of aging parents was going to be shared on a societal level. Social Security was as much an aid to people under 65 as it was to those who were old enough to receive benefits.

The dominos have already begun to fall, and trust me, "entitlements" are next in line. And while I don't begin to have the solution to our world's economic crisis, I do know that in regards to entitlement, there is one critical place to begin. And that is to unpack the loaded language we've taken to using, restoring fairness and respect back into the dialogue, and regardless of our age, working together to fix this mess for the sake of all the generations. more inside the nation»