Peggy Noonan is a liar.
Socialist income redistribution schemes NEVER give you your money back.
They take money away from you and give it to somebody else.
Specifically, Social Security confiscates a portion of the salaries and wages of younger workers, and gives it to elderly retirees as a "safety net." Younger workers do this with the understanding that, when they become elderly retirees, the new generations of younger workers will care for them in the same fashion.
Ideologically, conservatives are opposed to this type of income redistribution.
But that debate was lost over 70 years ago, and we are now morally obliged to abide by the promises that were made to our elderly citizens.
However, the REAL scandal with Social Security is the notion that a multi-TRILLION dollar "Trust Fund" is necessary to make Social Security work. Congress actually uses this as a slush fund, misappropriating the monies for other governmental purposes. In truth, to be economicly "efficient", Social Security taxes should be redistributed as rapidly as possible, maintaining an absolute minimimum balance in the "pipeline".
Like it or not, that IS how Social Security actually works.
And like all government policies and programs, it is always open to debate and revision.
But as a conservative, I am embarrassed by pseudo-conservatives like Peggy Noonan and George W. Bush who lie to the American People as to how Social Security works. They are just as guilty of freightening and misleading our elderly citizens as the poverty pimps in the "other" party.
Noonan knows that. The POV she presents is "others". Once again, the quote in fair context:
"Others might reasonably wonder if life isn't complicated enough. The beauty of the Social Security system is its almost idiotic simplicity: They take your money from your paycheck and then 40 years later when you're old they start giving some back each month. Personal accounts are less simple."
Maybe I should write up a Cliff Notes version once a week.