Social Security is a scheme and I cannot excuse that. But I will say, had the politicians not raided the Social Security funds for all these many years, the funds would last much longer than they shall. There never was a lock box. It was just a big pile of money and, like flies to feces, the politicians could not but help themselves to the feast.
“But I will say, had the politicians not raided the Social Security funds”
Unfortunately, during the 90’s when clintoon “ended welfare” most of the change was in name only - and in where the actually money came from.
With all the numbers crap that comes out of Washington, one figure you will never hear:
How much (as a percent) of Social Security is paid to people that have paid into the system their whole life, and how much is paid to people that never paid ANYTHING into the system.
Ditto for Medicare
You’ll never hear it because it would likely cause the second American Revolution.
If if you had those percentages for today and say 1994, you’d quickly see how we “ended welfare” in 1996.