“Unlike most government programs, Social Security and, in part, Medicare are funded by payroll taxes dedicated specifically to them. Some of the tax revenue pays for current benefits; anything that's left over goes into trust funds for the future. The programs were designed this way for political reasons.”

American journalist

James Michael Surowiecki is an American journalist known for his writing on business and finance. He was a staff writer at The New Yorker. At The New Yorker, he wrote a regular column called "The Financial Page," which focused on business and finance. His work is associated with clear, public-facing commentary on economic topics.