In the letter in “The Readers’ Turn” for Oct. 27–Nov. 2, 2021, by Enid F. Rocourt of Arizona, Rocourt claims that it is incorrect to say that the money for Social Security does not go into the so-called Social Security trust fund, that it goes into Social Security and is then “borrowed” by the federal government. That, of course, is a distinction without a difference. But here’s what really happens. The revenues all go into the general fund. A memo is entered into Social Security for the amount that should be credited to it. That memo is effectively an IOU. So the federal government is borrowing money from an agency of the federal government, promising to pay interest, from federal funds (thank you, taxpayers) to another agency of the federal government. Social Security then writes checks to the beneficiaries on the Social Security account, which siphons the money from the general fund, which has to continually borrow to keep up with its payments.
Any way you cut it, Charlie Ponzi is still in awe and admiration of the scheme perpetrated by our government!
Charlie Gruner
Illinois
