Honest question, because I have not dug in.
Have you dug into the numbers?
I mean, the contributors are where the most people live and also where big business lives. How much of the Illinois contribution is business? Like, McDonald's, Boeing, Abbott, etc.? They have a ton of employees, and not only do they pay taxes, they pay FICA, etc. Is FICA included? Medicare/aid?
Also, I'd like to know what Federal money means. Florida and Arizona "take" a lot more than they give.
If part of that is social security, and given the numbers, I suspect it is a part.
I do not consider FICA to be Federal money. I consider it mine, ours, and yours.
Because it is.
And, for 20 years, I've paid double for me as an employer of me. I'll never see it. Not even close.