I agree with you that "fair share" is fiction--for the rich. The middle class and the poor pay more for social security relative to their wages; they pay more for everything relative to their wages. So they're paying more. I call that more than their fair share, but you get to call it anything you like. Now, to answer your questions: 1) I'm quite elderly, so I don't have a paycheck any more. Your share of some money I haven't been getting for many years is moot. 2) You have no right to pick anybody's pockets; that's a crime. 3) The way social security works is this: Everybody who lives to a ripe old age gets more, sometimes considerably more, than they put in and, unless they're rich, probably more than they can save. This works out because many other people die before they reach retirement age and collect nothing. And non-citizens working at regular jobs pay into the program as well but cann't collect anything from it , which is unfair but does keep the money topped up. It works like any car, medical, or life insurance. All that said, iIf you're against social security yourself, you could certainly donate all of what you get for a good cause.