Means Test for Social Security Is Classist

Trini Marquez [“Social Security Has Lost Sight of Original Goal,” Letters, Feb. 22] maintains that Social Security was established as insurance against poverty and that a means test should be established to determine who should get retirement payments.

Social Security was established as a supplement to the retirement income that retirees were expected to provide for themselves. Sadly, over the years, many people have been led to believe that Social Security is all the retirement income they will need.

Let us envision two people who hold identical jobs and make identical wages over their working years. The first is profligate, spending all of his disposable income on instant gratification. The second is conservative, saving a part of his income for retirement. Both pay identically into Social Security. In Marquez’s world, the second would be denied the Social Security for which he paid, solely because he has accumulated assets that provide him with retirement income in excess of whatever Marquez and her like-minded ilk think is “enough.” This is a classic example of class envy. (For your information, we are already traveling down the road espoused by Marquez. A portion of Social Security payments--up to 85%--are taxable for those with high incomes.)

I.P. SICOTTE Jr.

San Francisco