Culture of entitlement

Culture of entitlement is a concept meant to encapsulate the social or economic beliefs that a government, usually through entitlement programs, should provide access to goods or services such as employment opportunities or health care at no additional cost (or at discount) to its tax payers. Though the goods or services desired may differ from group to group, the society under this belief will generally feel "entitled" to a private industry that they might not normally have access to (or have limited access to), through economic disadvantages or otherwise.
As an expression it is often used to criticize perceived abuses or expansion of entitlement programs as a result of the general expectation of government intervention in attempts to protect access to certain services. Critics of a culture of entitlement often believe that the free market in general, or the rewards of personal responsibility, is the most responsible approach to correcting these inequities. The connotation of the phrase often implies that the recipients of government entitlements are individuals that do not deserve to receive such benefits or entitlements. There have been some that have criticised an entitlement philosophy for causing the great recession:

In the pejorative sense it is meant to imply it is most applicable not to social security and medicare—which are insurance programs paid for by the users—but to the "entitlement" of those who are the least needy.
The concept may be contrasted with a "culture of merit", where individuals are rewarded due to ability or achievement (cf. meritocracy). Advocates of a culture of merit state that the free market and individual responsibility for themselves and their community provide a culture of ownership whereby individuals take almost complete responsibility of themselves, their family, and their community. In a culture of ownership, it is believed that there is a stronger relationship between cause and effect, between risk and reward, and between investment and return on investment. (See Market Forces)

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