Its 100% not welfare. Get another idea. :-)
When a 28 year old has 6.5% of his paycheck taken from him, where does that go?
To 75 grandma and grandpa sitting around at home, doing not much of anything.
That is welfare
http://fff.org/explore-freedom/article/is-social-security-welfare/
“Social Security is welfare because there is no connection between the taxes paid and the benefits received. Take two men who are the same age and have identical incomes. One works for exactly 35 years, reaches full retirement age, and then retires. The other works for 45 years, reaches full retirement age, and then retires. Since Social Security benefits are based on the average of a worker’s 35 highest years of earnings, as related above, the benefit amount that these two men receive every month will be substantially the same. The fact that each man paid vastly different amounts into the system yet received basically the same benefits is irrefutable proof that there is no connection between Social Security taxes and benefits.”
Unfortunately, that’s not true.