Sure, my phrasing seemed to minimize the importance of SS in terms of dollar amt, but the fact remains that even with the most dramatic cut possible to SS (i.e.

Sure, my phrasing seemed to minimize the importance of SS in terms of dollar amt, but the fact remains that even with the most dramatic cut possible to SS (i.e. "completely replace it"), the SS cuts amount to less than half of the savings in costs (i.e. the error in your simple math claiming to show why it's mathematically impossible). Once you include the revenue increase I mentioned (the one that works out to a tax burden that's no higher for anyone because it just cancels out the basic income for certain income tax tiers), SS cuts become even further below 50% of the cost-savings I mentioned. I'll assume that you don't actually disagree with my original comment from the fact that you're resorting to picking successively more microscopic nits.