But then did your uncle pay into Social Security during his working lifetime? If so, he’s entitled to benefits, whether he “needs” it now or not.
I agree means testing could well happen. But how will they administer such tests? For example, if you own a house, will that be used against you in determining eligibility for Social Security benefits? Then again, just because you own a house doesn’t mean that you have a lot of cash, even though on paper, you’re very wealthy for owning an asset such as a house.
I’m not even counting his very average ($450k) house in his net worth. I’m sure he’s worth well north of $20 million and all he does now is dispense his excess wealth giving money to various charities. And most of his social circle is in similar shape financially. Whether you believe he’s still entitled to it is irrelevant when you weigh in the fact that the country (and SS) is bankrupt it’s the only practical solution.