When I worked in the IT dept. of a local school district, we were exempt from SS but paid the same percentage to a privately run but state regulated retirement company. The school district matched our contribution, just like an employer would under SS.
The big difference was that no one could touch the contributions. The organization handling the funds would invest them keeping to the state rules about such investments.
Our department would visit their IT dept. on occasion as a tech exchange experience. We immediately noticed that everything was state of the art. When we asked about it, it was explained that the investment folks were doing such a good job that the income was above what was allowed by state law so they had to increase expenses. Modern furniture, fixtures, new computers ever six months or more, they has to spill money just to stay legal. And the retirement benefits were still better than what would be paid by SS.
Sickens me to think how the general populace has been robbed by SS.
It isn't SS that is screwing the American public. It was a good idea, and it was probably the only Govt. social program that ever actually worked.
There are 2 reasons it is now broke.
The first was the out right theft committed by DEM, Johnson by taking OUR money out of the legally mandated trust fund to fund his totally useless "Great Society" welfare boondoggle.
The Second was the decision, based on Al Gores deciding vote, to give OUR money to illegal aliens.
No matter how often the DEMS lie about Reps. "destroying Social security". The truth remains that it is in fact another victim of the criminality underlying the entire Dem agenda.
In a "RICO" Indictment this would be considered a "predicate offense", when combined with things like Obummercare's unconstitutional clauses, and Congresses continuing refusal to enforce their own immigration laws by cracking down on illegal immigration, it constitutes a pattern of continuing criminal activity putting them in exactly the same category as the Mafia.