Well, actually the money you put in does not go right out to a current recipient. Currently, Social Security is running a $150 billion surplus each year (factored as constant 1999 dollars - meaning that inflation has been taken into account) - this surplus takes into account the fact that 'baby boomers' begin retiring this year. The only "hand in the cookie jar" individuals who have access to SS are survivors of people who did pay into the system. In 1983, it was realized that SS would have a problem with the 'baby boom' retirement so the payroll tax was increased; that was 25 years ago. If you are really worried about receiving anything from SS, why not advocate for an increase in the payroll tax? Actually rather than increase the payroll tax, it would be much cheaper to raise the payroll limit above the $97,000 limit (which by the way is a max of $6,045 per year)
The Social Security system is one of the greatest successes in US history.
Social Security reduces the proportion of elderly people living in poverty from nearly one in two to fewer than one in eight, according to a new study released today of Census data. The study found that in 1997, nearly half of all elderly people — 47.6 percent — had incomes below the poverty line before receipt of Social Security benefits. After receiving Social Security benefits, only 11.9 percent remained poor.
As a result, the study said, Social Security raised out of poverty more than one in every three elderly Americans. The program lifted 11.4 million elderly people above the poverty line.
Without Social Security, the study found, 15.3 million elderly had incomes below the poverty line. After Social Security, only 3.8 million elderly did. Three-fourths of those elderly people who would have been poor without Social Security were lifted from poverty by it.
The study, "Social Security and Poverty Among the Elderly," found Social Security's effects in shrinking poverty to be most striking among elderly women. Seven million of the 11.4 million elderly people whom Social Security lifted from poverty in 1997 — more than 60 percent — were women.
To summarize:
Social Security is running a surplus.
When the baby boomers discovered there might be problems with the system when they retired, they raised payroll deductions to pay for it.
If you want Social Security to be around when you retire - fight for it not against it.