Speculator
Recycles dryer sheets
Quite a few interesting comments out there on how to remedy this mess, so I figured I'd throw my "fix" into the Colosseum for the lions to munch on. I think the earnings cap on wages should be removed completely and all the folks who are receiving Social Security should have their dividends and capital gains taxed at the rate of regular income, with the additional taxes they will pay being directly deposited into the Social Security Trust Fund. After all, lower wage earners pay Social Security taxes on their entire income, why shouldn't higher paid workers? And most well-off retired folks I know, or have heard of, receive most of their retirement income through dividends and capital gains (Warren Buffett?) which I believe are generally taxed at preferential rates compared to younger workers who usually pay a higher rate on their earnings. I think this would be fair to everyone and would get the current system "back on it's feet" in short order.