Another misused word in real democracy is "entitlements".

An 'entitlement" is not an entitlement, it's a direct result of the essence of democracy. You can call it that if you want, but it reflects a lack of knowledge of real democracy. The essence of real democracy is at the Bottom of triadic government; that's where all the People are. The representatives at the Top are merely carrying out their proper duties- in the case of Social Security- by returning to individuals what the individual has already paid out to the government in the form of withholding taxes.( But where are the jobs?) In the case of the 'poverty stricken', the government is merely carrying out its responsibilities to the less fortunate. Is the latter, a case of what is usually called a 'handout'? Hell No! Why do we have government, if not to 'govern' the 'condition of togetherness' at the Bottom of democratic structures? The form of democratic Government is not a 'structure' formed for the purpose of individuals' to ascend the ladder of opportunity and then abuse the 'office' and the political power that the Bottom has entrusted to them. The Top has democratic duties just as the Judiciary and the Bottom of democracy has democratic duties. Equally so, the Top, the judicial, and the Bottom get compensated for their contributions to a functional, democratic form of government. So why reduce the so-called 'entitlements' that only go to the Bottom of democracy, like Social Security, food Stamps, Welfare, etc.? If those are entitlements, in the sense used by politicians today, so is the salary, retirement, and other 'perks' enjoyed by the officeholders at the Top of government. Hey, I have an idea, why not reduce the 'entitlements' of the office holders? They get 'benefits' from the government for carrying out their duties. Corporations pay the same percentage of taxes as 'rich' Americans, and they're not even real. People are real, and their 'compensation' for existing and contributing to the 'condition of togetherness' should not be tampered with. Tamper with the Top; the economy: and the top 1%.