There are 54 million on SS and it is now permanently in the red. The debate about whether Social Security faces a problem is over. The 2011 trustees report shows that the program already faces massive permanent annual deficits. In 2010, Social Security spent $49 billion more in benefits than it took in from its payroll tax. This year, that deficit will be approximately $46 billion. Now is the time to focus on solutions.
After adjusting for inflation, annual deficits will reach $81.5 billion in 2020, $288.4 billion in 2030, and $343.6 billion in 2035.
In FY 2010 we spent $3.5 trillion and took in $2.2 trillion. How do you propose we balance the budget any time soon?
For a start, "No government payments, Federal, State or Local to anyone not in the country legally".
In general, cancel any part of the Federal Government not clearly called for in Article I Section 8.
Department of Ed? Cancel immediately, just like a company going through bankruptcy liquidation.
Department of Agriculture, and the DEA, likewise. ATF? Unarmed tax collectors.
Department of Energy? Cancel any part not associated with nuclear energy development immediately.
Social Security is a bit more complicated. Anyone over 65, means-testing benefits; if your personal savings/private pensions plus SS put you over the median income in your area, that part of "your" SS payment that puts you over the median income goes away. Yeah, some people, the responsible ones, get screwed. No matter what happens, a lot of people are going to get screwed. Anyone under 40, an immediate guarantee that they will never receive a cent from it, which they generally already know, but also they don't have to pay a cent in FICA taxes, ever again. For those between 40 and 65, a sliding scale for both FICA taxes and SS benefits; the closer you are to 65, the more FICA tax you pay, and the more you'll receive, closer to 40, you pay little and are promised little.
Medicare? No more scooters. No treatments for obesity- or smoking-related illnesses. No more tax-funded Viagra.
That's a first pass.
One other thing I forgot to mention, though it was implied in previous list: “No payments to any individual except in compensation for services rendered.”