Social Security is a scam so good you can’t say no
Social Security is hailed as one of the government’s greatest achievements. A “safety net” that ensures nobody grows old and poor.
That’s the sales pitch. But here’s the problem: If it’s so “great,” why does Uncle Sam have to force you into it?
A truly good idea doesn’t need coercion. People would willingly buy in.
But Social Security? It’s non-negotiable. You don’t get to opt out, even if you know you could do better with the money you earn. That alone should set off alarms in your brain.
The birth of a scam
Social Security was born in 1935, in the depths of the Great Depression. FDR pitched it as a noble solution: Pay a little now, collect later, and everyone’s taken care of. It was marketed like a savings account—“your money” tucked away for your future.
Except that’s not how it works. Your payroll taxes don’t go into some personal account. They’re immediately spent to pay current retirees.
The government “borrows” what’s left over and replaces with IOUs that depend on future taxpayers to honor them. It’s not saving; it’s a Ponzi scheme with better PR.
The Big Lie: You earned it
Politicians love to tell people they “earned” their Social Security. That’s how they keep the scam alive. It gives you the illusion that you’re just getting back what you paid in.
But the truth is, they spent your “contributions” the moment they left your paycheck. Something a lot of people at least realize. But what they don’t realize is that there’s no vault with your name on it, ready to give you back what you put in.
If you die early, tough luck. Your family doesn’t get the leftover “balance.” And if you live long enough, you’re simply pulling from the taxes of the next generation.
The government calls it fairness. I call it for what it is: intergenerational theft.
Why would they force it?
Simple. It wouldn’t survive otherwise. If people had the freedom to opt out and invest that 12.4% of their paycheck (your half plus the employer’s half, which is really just part of your wages), they’d blow Social Security out of the water. Even conservative investments in the stock market outperform the paltry returns of Social Security.
So the government makes it mandatory. Not because it’s the best system, but it’s the only way to keep the illusion going. Without your forced contributions, the house of cards collapses.
The financial time bomb
Social Security is running out of runway. The “trust fund,” really just a fancy name for government IOUs, is projected to be insolvent in the 2030s. When that happens, either:
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Taxes go up,
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Benefits get cut,
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Or both.
Guess who’s on the losing end? Younger workers, Millennials, Gen Z, and beyond are paying into a system that openly admits it won’t pay them back in full. If this were a private business, it’d be illegal.
Dependency by design?
Social Security was never just about helping retirees. It was about creating dependency.
If the state controls your retirement, you’re less likely to question it. You’re also less likely to push for alternatives. It becomes the golden chain of soft tyranny: People will fight to preserve the very system that’s robbing them unless they wake the f*ck up.
What’s the alternative?
Here’s a radical thought: Let people keep their own money. Imagine if, instead of losing 12.4% of your paycheck to a crumbling government scheme, you could invest it yourself. Even a conservative portfolio would make you wealthier than Social Security ever could.
Voluntary systems work. Look at 401(k)s, IRAs, crypto, and metals. If Social Security were optional, the majority of people would abandon it the minute they realized there were better ways to invest. And that’s exactly why the the a**hats who control you will never give you that choice.
Social Security isn’t security
It’s a government-run Ponzi scheme wrapped in patriotic language. It survives not because it’s good, but because you’re not allowed to say “no.”
The next time someone puts Social Security on a pedestal, ask them this: “If it’s so great, why do they have to force everyone into it?”
And in one of my societies, something like Social Security would never thrive. I’m, of course, talking about the voluntaryist society I cooked up in my libertarian young adult academy fantasy series, Arcane Elemental Academy.
Yote Diamondback may be a bit of a statist early on. Until she crosses into Aurora Village in her nation’s Northern Region and sees what a fully-privatized, voluntary society can look like and thrive. You can meet her in my free series prequel, Arcane Awakenings. In it, Yote gets her first of what will be many “red pills.”
