Reply #36: All of the post have made excellent points but I think 1 has been missed

[left is right]

If we had only private investment accounts instead of S S Insurance, we would be able to withdraw that money for any and every reason--want to buy a new home, a $100,000 car, send your kid to college, give your daughter the wedding of her dreams--just "borrow" it from your retirement investment. The problem is we would never pay it back and eventually there would be nothing left to retire on. The specter of old people living on the street and eating out of dumpsters would become a very real possibility.
Security requires that it can not be touched for any reason except retirement. But we must not miss the significance of the first word "Social". We are all in this together. Each wage earner contributes to a system that ensures all of us will be taken care of. It provides a safety net that a great society is unwilling to let any citizen to fall below.