I think it's related to wealth inequality. Social Security only taxes the first ~$150k you make in a year. If a million dollars is redirected from the poor to

I think it's related to wealth inequality. Social Security only taxes the first ~$150k you make in a year. If a million dollars is redirected from the poor to the rich, we lose Social Security income. In theory, that decreases the Social Security we have to pay out, but in reality, that would mean letting those people die when they get old, so we'll pay for it one way or another. Plus, you know, people not having kids. Social Security isn't pre-funded, so it kind of depends on the labor force growing indefinitely. That was a terrible idea, but I can't see any way to fix it now.