As much as possible, ppl shld pay for their own education, health care, retirement. When Social Security and, to a lesser degree, Medicare, were enacted, folks 65+ were more likely than average to be poor. Help the needy, not the well-off; shrink size, scope, spending of govt.
Maintaining full Social Security benefits would mean raising the payroll tax from 12.4% to nearly 17%.
Also fully funding Medicare would require adding another 9pp, or perhaps adding a 25% VAT.
So that (often wealthy) seniors can keep getting back far more than they paid in. 🙄