Why People Hate Discussions Of Social Security

One reason that people avoid the discussion of Social Security is that Yes is not necessarily the opposite of No. This is the result of politics in which the answer is less important than the framing of the question. Case in point.

This is : Yes, Social Security adds to the budget deficit

"These deficits, which began in 2009, could add trillions to the federal debt held by the public and hundreds of billions in annual interest costs. "

This is : No, Social Security does not add to the budget deficit

"In fact, Social Security’s Old Age and Survivors Insurance Trust Fund and its Disability Insurance Trust Fund are prohibited from paying benefits unless those funds have sufficient income and assets to cover the cost, and they have no borrowing authority to acquire the requisite income and assets. Consequently, Social Security is prohibited by law from deficit-spending and thus contributing to the federal deficit"

Both are true statements, but they don't actually refer to the same thing. The difference is "Held By The Public". The Social Security Trust Fund is not the public. It is an intergovernmental agency. So as we liquidate the Trust Fund, we will have to borrow from "the public", and we will see higher interest costs as a result.

Why does the public get a better deal than Social Security? Because "the public" has options to invest its money at the best rate. Social Security doesn't - and no one is talking about fixing that. (other than us)...

source :
http://jec.senate.gov/republicans/public/?a=Files.Serve&File_id=0edfdbbe-6f48-4007-a429-6ef64fda10cb