Social Security is already the primary source of retirement income for some two-thirds of American seniors and its modest benefits keep roughly 22 million people out of poverty.
Yet — compared to the generosity of other countries and accounting for ongoing increases in the cost of housing, food, health care and other necessities — the need to expand social security benefits is clear. It's also easily doable if the ceiling on the amount of wages, now $118,500, that are subject to payroll taxes were to be raised as the president and others have suggested.