It's Not My Money!!!

Every time I hear the argument to Partially Privatize Social Security, I hear someone say that individuals can invest their money better than the government. IT'S NOT MY MONEY! It's a tax on my payroll to help ensure my grandmother (and every other elderly/disabled citizen) doesn't have to eat cat food. And I'm glad to pay it. Social Security, with all of it's limitations and problems, is a piece of the Great Society, our promise to one another that we'll take care of each other. As soon as we start seeing it as "my money", we start to erode that vision. There are plenty of mechanisms to save our money for retirement [401K, Roth IRA, etc], and anyone who wants to actually retire better be using a few of them.

• Side Note: Does everyone know that when the retirement age was originally set, it was actually higher than the average life expectancy? Social Security was intended to be a safety net, not a golden parachute.

Let me draw an analogy. I want to Partially Privatize the Defense Budget (also paid for by my taxes). I don't feel that my taxes are being spent effectively in Iraq, so I'll keep those dollars and use them to secure my own house. You figure out how to pay for the war without me, and I'll figure out how to keep Terrorists out of my basement.