[Svartalfiar]

You are conflating Social Security with Social Security Insurance.

It's still run by the Social Security program.

And SS itself is still partially welfare, for some people. Do you know the return for the first person to receive SS? As people live longer nowadays, they end up getting paid more than they put in, even accounting for interest/inflation. A proper entitlement turns into welfare.

[Harmless Teddy Bear]

It's still run by the Social Security program.

And Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services run both programs but one is paid for and one is welfare.

Do you know the return for the first person to receive SS?

They are dead.

A long time ago. Everyone now on SS (not SSI) paid into the system fully.

As people live longer nowadays, they end up getting paid more than they put in, even accounting for interest/inflation.

Nope.

I ran the numbers probably about 20 years ago.

A guy who never earned more then minimum wage, worked only 40 hours a week, fifty weeks a year from age 20 to age 67 and put his money in government bonds would retire with over a million.

Drawing $4000 a month from that account and containing to invest in just government bonds the account would continue to grow and the principle would never be touched.