To you point tone is definitely important as either attacking, or putting down, those you are talking/presenting to is rarely a good way to get them to listen to you (or do what you want). That said, I've heard those who have simply brought up the facts (challenges) facing S.S. get called names and told they want to eliminate the program etc. It's understandable people don't want to hear the challenges the program faces and the reaction as a result is often to attack the messenger.
(And yes, to many on the right tax increases are off the table and to many on the left increasing retirement age or having to reduce benefits is off the table. So when people are stuck to their ideological positions it prevents anything from getting done and the problem only gets worse.)
Excellent points. Yes, SSA is in real financial trouble (the whole 'federal' government is!). There really are no good options to fix it.
This program funds it's payments to retirees and those unable to work (for various specific reasons), through the tax payments of current workers. There is no 'stash box'. When those current workers retire, other workers coming into the field will pay the taxes for them. In other words, it's a pyramid scheme, but one funded by taxation.
The trouble comes with too few workers and a large number of retirees (what we have more and more of right now).
Like any pyramid scheme, it must eventually fail. There is no stopping it.
Should the government try to print it's way out of it's predicament, that creates inflation.
Should the government try to tax it's way out of it's predicament, that creates revolt (and there are simply not enough people to tax!).
Should the government try to borrow it's way out of it's predicament, that create enormous debt (already there and growing worse!) that can no longer be serviced without printing wads of money (back to inflation again!).
The loop is self destructive. The inflation caused raises prices the government must pay also, which puts pressure to borrow and/or print and inflate some more to cover it!
The end is a simple one, though not a pretty one. It means uncontrolled reduction of government. Programs MUST be ELIMINATED just to get back on some kind of financial footing again. It also means possibly the collapse of the government that did this to itself, and resulting civil war.
Civil war will probably come sooner than that, though, since the Democrats really want to start one to force their tyranny.
