The other thing that is killing Social Security is disability. This is the least discussed and least understood facet of the system. The system includes a disability insurance component. In theory, this is supposed to provide a worker with a benefit if that worker becomes unable to work due to some circumstance. In practice there are a vast amount of ridiculous and fraudulent claims.
Example #1:
My wife is a drug an alcohol addiction counselor. I asked her a long time ago how her clients were able to afford drugs/alcohol since almost none of them work. She explained that nearly all of them got what they referred to as "crazy checks". The bottom line is that an addiction is considered a "mental disability" and qualifies for disability benefits.
Now I'm pretty libertarian on drugs generally. If you played in the NFL and made a bunch of cash and now you want to spend your cash sitting around getting high all day well I don't really care. My view changes a LOT when you start asking me to pay for your drugs. IMHO, this simply should not be allowed. Drug and alcohol addicts should be told to get a job not given cash.
Second, the prevalence of disability claims has been rising over time which is the opposite of what should be happening. Over the past 50 years the percentage of jobs requiring heavy physical labor has dropped precipitously. In addition, new Federal Laws have mandated that employers make accommodations for disabled employees. Those two factors *SHOULD* have resulted in a massive REDUCTION in disability claims. Instead disability claims have steadily risen all while the physical demands on employees have diminished and employers have been required to provide accommodations for disabled employees. IMHO the only possible explanation is fraud.