I suggest the only people who collect government “benefits” are those who never put up anything of value (whether money, labor, or materials) in exchange for a government check. You surely can figure out who those types are.
You’re not getting it. Because the government stole your contributions a long time ago, on paper, from a purely financial perspective, you’re benefits are equivalent to the beenfits of those “other types” — all of it is a growing burden to current, working taxpayers, most of whom never signed on to that promise. And it’s unsustainable.
Oh, I get it, and I’ve gotten it for sixty-four years now. Sure, the payroll tax that was seized from me and my employers for 40+ years was “stolen.” Also “stolen” was all the property taxes, income taxes, sales taxes, etc., etc. from ALL levels of government. It was stolen and used by the political class to buy votes. And so it has been since the invention of the thing called “government.”
But logic dictates that ANYONE who works for the government (as defined by an outlay of labor, or something of value) and expects a government check in return, has no more call on the federal treasury than a Social Security recipient who also put up something of value (money).