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Uhhhh ... why not just go back to that idealistic concept of a trust fund ?

As I understand it, there USED TO BE a trust fund, until Johnson closed the account and moved all funds into the general budget. From there it was an Amway type of of payout to all those that were 'brought into' the program. The problem was, and is ... there is no volunteering but a forced participation.

Let forced participation of SS funds go into a real, live account that accually generates some kind of interest ... then, at some point in a contributor's life ... 35, 40 years of age maybe ... give him or her the option to opt out, take a very reduced, but guaranteed monthly check (15% ?) and allow him or her to then make their own decisions about their retirement.

This would provide SS funds for SS purposes and also allow those that have 'made it' in life to invest on their own, their own money.

Once you opt out .. you can't go back in ... but you still have that 15% check for life.

Except there's one tiny problem: Congress does not want to admit that their spending depends on the proceeds from FICA taxes, which now effectively additional income taxes that by and large redistribute income from productive taxpayers to less productive taxpayers. And, since Congress borrows any "surplus" proceeds of FICA taxes, the money will be raised either by increasing taxes on future generations, debasing the dollar, or all of the above.

Personally, I would favor a "sunset" on the Social Security program: no new participants, current participants younger than the retirement age can opt for a lump sum payout now, and participants who choose to remain under Social Security get reduced benefits.

I am twenty-one, and I am deeply cynical about Social Security because all politicians lie...and the way things are looking, my generation will never collect a penny but much will be taken away from those of us who are actually productive.

We can dream all we want, but the fact of the matter is that our government is run by humans, and humans are inherently sinful (and prone to vices such as lying, cheating, stealing, clever manipulation of numbers, and so forth). And our government is going to keep spending and spending and spending because they will not pay a penny; the generations entering the labor force of today and the future will pay.