One thing that really burns me is that in 1983 (Reagan Admin.) Republicans and Democrats agreed to start taxing Social Security benefits. (Where was Norquist then?) A complicated formula was devised to determine how much tax should be paid. It included a deduction of $25,000 for singles, and $32,000 for couples. It has not been increased for 32 years. With inflation it should now be more than double. Ten years after retiring I now pay taxes on almost all my modest SS payment. Also the one-time-death-benefit begun in 1957 at $255 is still at $255. It should now, inflation adjusted, be over $2,000 and would just pay for a bare bones cremation.
One of the frequent threats / scare tactics re: Social Security is that the eligibility age would be moved forward. That actually went into effect in 1972 or thereabouts.
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/retire2/agereduction.htm
Taxing SS benefits was an early indicator of the depravity of our Congress.