Most people don't get it, but when politicians talk about not being able to pay for SS it's a myth, a fake red-blue argument to get votes. The government can print as many dollars as it wants. It does that whenever Wall Street and military industrialists ask for it. It could do the same thing for healthcare, college debt and whatnot. They just don't, so that people stay fearful and stressed about losing their jobs. This epic, colossal lie needs to be revealed for what it is, all the time.
@JLong - Monetary policy-oriented economists (basically every one that's famous, eg Krugman, etc) have a stake in it. Those people are no help.
@esaeger; They also say it because Congress routinely takes money from the Social Security Trust Fund to use for other things and writes IOUs to SS, and then it, of course, never wants to pay it back. Same's true for the USPS Pension Fund, as per two of my former local Postmasters and a retired GAO I had as a neighbor from 2012-2016. They also are loathe to raise taxes overall, even a tiny bit, even to pay for current budgets.
@esaeger It's as plain as day. Around 80% of poll respondents are all for it but somehow it's politically radioactive. It isn't even mentioned anymore.