Bob, you have just enough information to be dangerous...what in the hell are you talking about, "our side" demanding goodies?
Most of the people on this site--the people on OUR side--have been forced to pay into the Ponzi scheme called Social Security. We're well aware that the government doesn't generate any income on its own, the government doesn't create any wealth, but we have no choice in the matter. So for us, for our side--yes, we have an expectation that some of that money we've paid in over the decades we've been at work should come back to us in our retirement years. I don't think getting back what we paid in is a "goody," and many of us know we might NOT get back everything we paid.
What you're arguing for is in effect a higher tax rate on all. You still think the Laffer Curve is about marginal rates, but it's actually about maximizing government revenue. The Laffer Curve, an inverted parabola, says that government revenue will increase proportionally with tax rates to a certain point. Then, any increase in tax rates actually causes less revenue to be gained (due to the negative impact on the economy.)
And if in fact your only focus is people on this site, get in line with the rest of the government moochers, you're no better than them. You want the productive people to pay more, but demand nothing in return.
I’ll try one last time:
If someone breaks into my house and steals my jewelry (i.e., my wealth), it DOES NOT give me the right to break into my neighbor’s house to steal their jewelry in return...
...except, I guess, if you call the jewelry “Social Security”.