Treat SS as a “retirement program” - THEN give young workers the opportunity to opt-out of it.
You don’t want to contribute - fine, but don’t expect to collect benefits.
It’s a deal I would take.
I would be happy to put the amount that is confiscated from my paycheck into my retirement savings. I've done that with my 401k for years...now the damn thieves are scheming to steal that too.
My baby daughter doesn't have an SSN yet. I could choose to not get her one, but then I'd lose out on some $3000/year in tax deductions. Since the feds get some $60,000 as a result (20 years of deductions), and get it 20 years early, and get it in pre-inflationary dollars, there really is no choice in the matter. You don't get to choose whether to contribute, just how - and they basically make it more painful to not contribute ("collecting benefits" aside) than to do so.
There really is no choice in the matter. You can choose to not opt-in (and I wish I hadn't), IF your parent's don't opt you in first (which they are hugely pressured to do).