Social Security's real return isn't just dollars and cents.

After reading Michael Tanner's article about Social Security, one could come away with questions about the viability of the Social Security program and its true return on Social Security taxes ("Social Security system just hobbles along," April 14-20 issue). Tanner hypothesizes that Social Security will be insolvent in 2037 and individuals could do better making their own investments. The impact Social Security has on so many people is too important to permit Tanner's points to go unchallenged.

Missing the point

Unlike financial securities such as stocks or corporate bonds, Social Security is not designed to provide an individual with a return on investment. Using that rationale, we could all ponder what else we could have done with the significant …