You are absolutely right.
But, that's not what Lindsey Graham is proposing. He is proposing that a subset of people deemed "unworthy" of Social Security benefits be denied.
And who is that subset? People who sacrificed their entire lives to invest and save in addition to their Social Security contributions.
When you have a proposal that spreads the sacrifice around to everyone, let's hear it. Otherwise, you are advocating nothing more than armed robbery, using the federal government as a weapon.
Don’t get me wrong. There are a lot of proposals out there to screw the rich by cutting benefits without any real sacrifice by the middle class or anyone else. That is just a back door tax increase so if all Lindsey is proposing is reducing benefits to seniors, I’d oppose it.
The worst arguments I ever get in with my friends, who are my age and approaching retirement, are on this issue. My stepfather was as conservative as they come but on this issue, he insisted that he “paid in” and so his benefits should not be touched. I just can’t get around the fact that we have a major problem—entitlements, including entitlements to seniors, are completely out of control. They will destroy this country and that’s no hysteria. Our parents got a windfall but now they are dead. Someone is going to take a major hit. That is what is so frustrating. I, and I suspect a lot of other decent American seniors, would be willing to take a painful cut if they were sure it was part of shared sacrifice. Yet our politicians are too small minded and craven to make true proposal on spending cuts that result in shared pain.