Quote from Random.Capital:
That would be true if the taxes collected for SSN were actually saved. But they weren't, they were spent. Worse, they were spent on things that eventual SSN beneficiaries have been directly benefiting from.
That is the practical definition of double-dipping.
So yes, it is perfectly fair to put future SSN payments in the category of benefits.
The fact that congress embezzled the money does not change the fact that those dollars were taken from us for one purpose and one purpose only, which is to provide a retirement income. Yes, we get a poor return on our money and that too is not our fault. A criminally corrupt congress is a fault.