Overview
- Star Parker argues that Social Security will only pay full benefits through 2033 and then about 77% after that, citing the 2025 trustees report.
- She says workers lack control over their contributions and points to poor service as a sign the system is unaccountable.
- To frame the debate, she recalls President Barack Obama’s 2010 vow to reject tying benefits to the stock market.
- The column cites long-run gains in the S&P 500 and a Cato analysis claiming a couple who invested payroll taxes could have out-earned Social Security even after the 2008–09 crash.
- She argues that fixing the program would mean higher taxes or lower checks and calls for an overhaul that shifts savings into personal ownership.