Reply #5: "Since the growth of retirees will outpace the growth of workers"

[aint_no_life_nowhere]

That's something I don't quite understand. They say that years ago there were 16 individuals paying in to S.S. for every person receiving benefits. They also say that just a few years from now, only two will be paying in for every benefit recipient. That's an incredible change - a 400% increase in recipients compared to those paying in. I understand that there are factors such as the baby boom and also that people are living longer. But 400%??? Isn't there however the factor of women entering the work force in great numbers in recent years that could offset the effects of the baby boom and greater longevity? And could the fact that more people are now unemployed than the government admits to (so-called discouraged workers and the homeless unemployed) be a factor? Or that wages are simply not increasing at the low end of the employment marketplace be a factor? No journalist seems to be addressing the finer details of these statistics being thrown at us.