[Sandy]

That makes Social Security different from welfare which is a transfer payment from those who do work to do those don't.

Social Security *is* a transfer payment from those who do work to those who don't. That makes it *exactly* the same as welfare.

[goldstategop]

You're wrong. People pay into Social Security during their working lives. So in that sense its actually an EARNED payment and has a very different connotation from welfare, which is a payment made to those who don't contribute to the well-being of society. When you look at it from that angle, you'll understand why Social Security enjoys near universal support but few like welfare.