O.K....I looked up the Nestor case.
Seems he was a deported commie that tried to draw benefits from overseas. Back in the day when commies were deported and not running the government.
Sure, I saw the ruling of “no obligation”.
But I would be hard pressed to see that such a thing would happen to every day Americans.
It may not be obligatory...but there is a certain amount of obligation from the government for making a promise and a mandatory deduction from every paycheck...with the promise of a later return.
It’s not welfare. Apples and oranges.
As I wrote earlier, the only obligation is political.
Almost every dollar that was collected from you was paid to your parents and grandparents. A small percentage went into the Trust Fund, but if you are still contributing -- even that's no longer happening. Social Security officially started spending more money than it takes in back in 2010, and last year they started withdrawing more from the Trust Fund than it earns in interest.
The only "promise of a later return" that you have is that a younger generation will be taxed to do the same for you.
Ever looked at your own Social Security statement? Have you ever noticed that they don't even tell you how much taxes have been paid on your behalf? All they tell you is how much wages were taxed. That should be a clue that there's no balance out there waiting for you.
But, here's the real problem. Go look at the Social Security Trustee's report for 2015. Starting at the bottom of page 5, they lay it out in stark black and white.
Unless the law is immediately changed to increase payroll taxes by 21%, reduce benefits for EVERYONE by 16%, or some combination thereof, Social Security will not have enough revenue to pay benefits through 2090.
If nothing is done, the shortfall will occur about 2034. And if that happens, benefits will be cut by about 23%. Social Security has no choice: they can't print money.
We are way past the point of be able to do anything small to "tweak" benefits or taxes. We lost that opportunity about 20 years ago. And now, it's going to be painful -- and gets worse every day.