We're not in disagreement, I'm a reluctant participant for the common good. Part of my point was, the sky was falling 40 years ago for those who blamed the prev

We're not in disagreement, I'm a reluctant participant for the common good. Part of my point was, the sky was falling 40 years ago for those who blamed the previous generation and protested paying in. And the SSA is still viable today and keeping those 'boomers' off the streets. It could fail tomorrow, and it's going to take policy makers with a backbone to keep it up, but that's what we have today, as a functioning society that takes care of their elderly and infirmed. Mostly. Considering what travesties private healthcare, prisons and pension funds have gotten us, I tend to doubt an 'open market' solution is more sustainable to what we have. IANAEconomist.