Originally Posted by rickair7777

You can google it.

But you don't even need a boom, you just don't want to be in a generation with significantly smaller numbers than the generation ahead of you, ie us losers in Gen X & Y. If generations are at least about the same size as the ones ahead of them (and behind them) then what they'll have to put into the retirement system is about what they'll need to get out of it.

In a perfect world what you put into the SS system would be held in some sort of escrow account set aside specifically for you. Reality is that pols just spend it all immediately, always, so it has the potential to turn into a ponzi scheme... but only if there's a notable demographic bust immediately behind your generation.

With a generational imbalance, the question becomes "who gets the short end of the stick"? Either elders take a benefit cut, or current workers pay more and/or take a future benefit cut.

Due to the nature of our politics in the US it's probably going to be more of the later... the AARP demographic is a *massive* political block (which has plenty of free time to vote). While individually they may be prone to certain parties or politics, just try touching their third rail and see what happens. Ultimate political FAFO (and everybody knows it). They'd elect Jeff Dahmer as president if he was the guy who would save SS.