Yeah, gato malo, post-boomer hindsight is 20-20. Those of us who lived through the ponzi scheme had no choice but to participate. Other generations have to be tutored by you (thanks!) to see the math!

You definitely get part of it: making other provisions for retirement when the feds are draining your paycheck for their programs is challenging. There were lots of other scams going on for someone born in 1954, too: wars, gas shortages, basic rights and wealth grabs on a regular financial crisis/ bubble-bursting basis. And once a person retires, one often pays MORE for Medicare health premiums than one did to private insurers before retirement. Not to mention that Medicare is first and foremost a rationing system with massive surveillance capabilities. We don’t get to opt-out of Medicare at any point, but we probably should not use it if we can pay direct and protect our privacy. Not using it could save you from federally-mandated hospital protocols and other pharmacological harms. This is the decision-point some of us are at now. May it serve as a tiny dot of illumination for younger generations.