Letter: 'Entitlement' a dirty word

"Entitlement" is one of the favorite words of today's propagandists. It is repeated ad nauseam. Many will soon just hear the word and, like good Pavlovian dogs, will salivate the desired reaction wanted by the entitlement propagandists. The demonetization of entitlements is rather new. But are entitlements something new that has been discovered in the past few years?

In his letter, David West states as fact the nonsense that "these pioneers did not expect entitlements..." ("Help individuals, but stop entitlement mentality," Reader's Forum, June 1). If Indians would have questioned the pioneers' entitlement to their lands, they would have been laughed in the face or shot. The pioneers that went on to California and Oregon also felt they were entitled to Indian land. This is not just something unique to Utah.

Many 19th century Indians were not without their entitlement issues either when viewed in the year 2012. They often "owned" a wife, and if they killed another man, then his property became theirs to do with as pleased.

The word "entitlement" is becoming a dirty word. But human beings have often felt entitled for a long time. Some entitlements are a lot more worthy than some others. Even pioneers felt entitled.

William Gronberg

Payson