[k2blader]

Okay. If SS isn't mandatory,

How is it possble to *not* pay any SS taxes? Besides never bringing in an income (not having a job), which is not a realistic option.

[suijuris]

Think of it in terms of "defacto" and "deJura". No one is obligated by law to take the number, and you still must request it, which I beleive in some way has religeous implications. No one; including the Fed Gov. however, is going to do much to help you out if you do not take the number and can not get a job. I have heard of some using the EEOC to asist in employment, but have never verified it.

For a practical matters most everyone must have a number to survive; but there are still quite a few people who do not have a number, including many from ultra conservative religeous sects. On the other hand, I have had several friends who did not have numbers and they did quite well. Lets just say they always had a loct of cash in their pocket, and my close friend who died even had several credit cards obtained with no SS#. He had no problems buying anything, getting insurance etc.