Right Wing Social Security Scare

Let's be honest: the right wing has been trying to eliminate Social Security since it was first enacted during the Great Depression. In the video above, Henry J. Aaron makes a few great points: (1) the argument that Social Security must be reformed because people are living longer only applies to the wealthy who are living longer and who do not need Social Security--working people's life expectancy still remains relatively short, (2) Social Security payments are very modest, really not enough to live on in retirement, (3) the system is currently not insolvent (there is no crisis and David John of the conservative Heritage Foundation was caught out with his own version of the facts here) and (4) the future of the system could easily be made sustainable by eliminating the income cap on Social Security taxes.

I would make the further point that wage earners paid their Social Security payroll deduction on the assumption that they were buying social insurance for retirement. The right wing is willing to break that social contract on the simple grounds that they and their wealthy contributors don't want to pay up.