It's $13,144. Does that change the point at all? Which is that the rich who are getting the "free ride" are going to get a lot less than they put in over their working lives? Incidentally, there's no cap at all on the Medicare tax.

As far as interest goes, the Social Security trust fund is in T-bills, which I think top out at around 3 percent interest for a ten year term. Doesn't change my point either.

Note carefully that this interest is also paid by the Federal government, which is currently doing so by...selling people T-bills. This financial arrangement would get you thrown in jail if you were a private citizen.

Note that if I had been able to put my Social Security funds into my own investments, I would have clocked six or seven percent gains - adjusted for inflation. And if I died at 60, my family would get all that money instead of Uncle Sam throwing it over the back of his horse and riding off with it.