There are two equitable solutions: either allow everyone to opt-out of Social Security, or allow no one to. The second is closer to the system we have now; the

There are two equitable solutions: either allow everyone to opt-out of Social Security, or allow no one to. The second is closer to the system we have now; the first would require major changes (subsidizing retirement for low-income workers from income tax instead of SS tax). It's also possible that the 10th Amendment may prevent the federal government from mandating state/municipal employee participation. The US federal government previously had a system similar to state pensions (CSRS), but employees hired after 1983 are required to be enrolled in the new system (FERS) which includes Social Security. There's also another difference: the federal government has far better internal controls than most of its states.