Social Security provides income to retired, unemployed, and disabled workers. Benefits are based on how long a worker was employed. The comments below are from a discussion between two speakers with different perspectives on the future of Social Security. Speaker A: Social Security is now facing a real problem. Soon the system will be paying more in benefits to retirees than it is collecting from payroll taxes. If we don’t fix this situation, the system will soon have nothing left. The best solution is to stop paying benefits to retirees with high incomes.

Speaker B:
What you propose is unfair. Workers pay into Social Security their whole working lives. After they retire, they are entitled to receive benefits based on what they have paid into the system. Even if they have high incomes, they are entitled to benefits from their own payments.

How do Speakers A and B differ?Immersive Reader

Speaker A believes too much money is paid to rich individuals; Speaker B sees the wealthy as the main drivers of the economy.

Speaker A fears Social Security will soon not have enough money to pay anyone; Speaker B feels retirees are entitled to benefits they have paid for.

Speaker A would rather invest in schools than pay retirees; Speaker B believes retirees are more in need of government help.

Speaker A believes the current system is unfair; Speaker B argues the system is basically fair.