---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Now, Social Security through the years…"
description: "\"Now, Social Security through the years, for many many people, has been a terrible investment. It's really a tax, that's all it is. Social Security is a..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77a/todd-akin-17203_has-beens_now-social-security-through-the-years-fo_1691543.png"
---

#  Now, Social Security through the years, for many many…

![“Now, Social Security through the years, for many many people, has been a terrible investment. It's really a tax, that's all it is. Social Security is a tax.” quote by Todd Akin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77a/todd-akin-17203_has-beens_now-social-security-through-the-years-fo_1691543.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77a/todd-akin-17203_has-beens_now-social-security-through-the-years-fo_1691543.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77a/todd-akin-17203_has-beens_now-social-security-through-the-years-fo_1691543.png)

> “Now, Social Security through the years, for many many people, has been a terrible investment. It's really a tax, that's all it is. Social Security is a tax.”

[Todd Akin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-akin/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Social Security is portrayed as a poor investment, essentially a tax that offers little return.

**In simple terms:** Social Security is seen as a tax, not a good investment.

Key Takeaway

Reevaluate the value and structure of social safety nets.

Themes

economics policy taxation

Mood

critical skeptical

Type

political economic

When to use this quote

- budget planning
- retirement planning
- policy debate

Key Concepts

Public finance social welfare

Questions to Reflect On

- Is Social Security a tax or a social contract?
- How should societies balance taxes and benefits?

A Different Perspective

The view ignores benefits beyond financial returns.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Has beens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/) [Health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/health/) [Investing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investing/) [Investment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investment/) [Investment Really](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/investment-really-722054/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Really Tax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/really-tax-1060061/) [Security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/security/) [Security Tax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/security-tax-483047/) [Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social/) [Social security](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/social-security/) [Tax Social](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tax-social-1060060/) [Taxes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/taxes/) [Terrible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/terrible/) [Through the years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/through-the-years/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/)

## Related quotes

> [Currently, 94 out of 100 of us pay the Social Security tax all year round.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-clooney/currently-94-out-of-100-of-us-pay-the-social-security-tax-all-year/)

[Nick Clooney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-clooney/)

> [Social Security is a tax.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-akin/social-security-is-a-tax/)

[Todd Akin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-akin/)

> [I was a tax attorney for something like seven years, so I was a tax geek. I was really into it. Tax is one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-liu/i-was-a-tax-attorney-for-something-like-seven-years-so-i-was-a-tax/)

[Ken Liu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-liu/)

> [I will tell you, in the case of education, you have to make the investment if you're going to get the return. There's no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-tester/i-will-tell-you-in-the-case-of-education-you-have-to-make-the-2/)

[Jon Tester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-tester/)

> [I will tell you, in the case of education, you have to make the investment if youre going to get the return. Theres no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jon-tester/i-will-tell-you-in-the-case-of-education-you-have-to-make-the/)

[Jon Tester](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jon-tester/)

> [I know about investment. It's really obvious - you buy property, let it sit for a couple of years and then sell it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melanie-brown/i-know-about-investment-it-s-really-obvious-you-buy-property-let-it/)

[Melanie Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melanie-brown/)

> [Now, because I want to sustain what I'm doing and have a long career, I know my body is an investment. I really try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-reaves/now-because-i-want-to-sustain-what-i-m-doing-and-have-a-long-career-i/)

[Austin Reaves](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-reaves/)

> [No government can guarantee security. It can only tax production, distribution and service and gradually crush the power to pay taxes. That settles nothing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/no-government-can-guarantee-security-it-can-only-tax-production/)

[Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/)

> [It has to have a payroll tax that's dedicated to Social Security. The Social Security tax has been very successful over the years in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-roosevelt/it-has-to-have-a-payroll-tax-that-s-dedicated-to-social-security-the/)

[James Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-roosevelt/)

> [Social Security is a tax and an insurance program. It's not a 401(k) program.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-wilcox/social-security-is-a-tax-and-an-insurance-program-it-s-not-a-401-k/)

[Todd Wilcox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-wilcox/)

> [The women who pass away before they receive Social Security, for them this is nothing but a tax from which they or their family…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ginny-brown-waite/the-women-who-pass-away-before-they-receive-social-security-for-them/)

[Ginny Brown-Waite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ginny-brown-waite/)

> [Writing seems to be more difficult as you move through the years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-crumb/writing-seems-to-be-more-difficult-as-you-move-through-the-years/)

[George Crumb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-crumb/)

> [If you're feeling fancy free, come wander through the world with me, and any place we chance to be, will be a rendezvous. Two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-mancini/if-you-re-feeling-fancy-free-come-wander-through-the-world-with-me/)

[Henry Mancini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-mancini/)

> [You can't dodge them all. I got hammered plenty of times through the years. But you just get up and keep playing. I can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bradshaw/you-can-t-dodge-them-all-i-got-hammered-plenty-of-times-through-the/)

[Terry Bradshaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bradshaw/)

> [There has been a tendency through the years for reason and moderation to prevail as long as things are going tolerably well or as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-william-fulbright/there-has-been-a-tendency-through-the-years-for-reason-and-moderation/)

[J. William Fulbright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-william-fulbright/)

## More by Todd Akin

> [I don't know the future. I didn't come here to tell you how this is going to end. I came here to tell you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-akin/i-don-t-know-the-future-i-didn-t-come-here-to-tell-you-how-this-is/)

[Todd Akin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-akin/)

> [Self-ruled Taiwan cannot be expected to accept such an affront to the legitimacy of its government and the self-determination of the Taiwanese people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-akin/self-ruled-taiwan-cannot-be-expected-to-accept-such-an-affront-to-the/)

[Todd Akin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-akin/)

> [America has got the equivalent of stage three cancer of socialism because the federal government is tampering in all kinds of stuff it has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-akin/america-has-got-the-equivalent-of-stage-three-cancer-of-socialism/)

[Todd Akin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-akin/)

> [You know, don't tell anybody I'm a jail bird, you know, but there were a bunch of us that were years ago involved in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-akin/you-know-don-t-tell-anybody-i-m-a-jail-bird-you-know-but-there-were-a/)

[Todd Akin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-akin/)

> [I'm a dad and that's pretty important.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-akin/i-m-a-dad-and-that-s-pretty-important/)

[Todd Akin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-akin/)

> [Anybody who knows something about the history of the human race knows that there is no civilization which has condoned homosexual marriage widely and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-akin/anybody-who-knows-something-about-the-history-of-the-human-race-knows/)

[Todd Akin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-akin/)

> [Just because somebody makes a mistake doesn't make them useless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-akin/just-because-somebody-makes-a-mistake-doesn-t-make-them-useless/)

[Todd Akin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-akin/)

> [I was involved in some peaceful protests.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-akin/i-was-involved-in-some-peaceful-protests/)

[Todd Akin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-akin/)

> [It is an essential tenet of our whole representative form of government, the idea that there should not be some tyranny which makes it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-akin/it-is-an-essential-tenet-of-our-whole-representative-form-of/)

[Todd Akin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-akin/)

> [I am deeply concerned about America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-akin/i-am-deeply-concerned-about-america/)

[Todd Akin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-akin/)

> [I don't know the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-akin/i-don-t-know-the-future/)

[Todd Akin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-akin/)

> [We have a long heritage of freedom that defines America. We believe there is a Creator who blessed us with life, liberty and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-akin/we-have-a-long-heritage-of-freedom-that-defines-america-we-believe/)

[Todd Akin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-akin/)

> [I oppose the attempts of homosexual activists to treat homosexual activity as a civil right to be protected and promoted by the government.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-akin/i-oppose-the-attempts-of-homosexual-activists-to-treat-homosexual/)

[Todd Akin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-akin/)

> [I'm standing for real freedom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-akin/i-m-standing-for-real-freedom/)

[Todd Akin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-akin/)

> [At the heart of liberalism really is a hatred for God and a belief that government should replace God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-akin/at-the-heart-of-liberalism-really-is-a-hatred-for-god-and-a-belief/)

[Todd Akin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-akin/)

[Explore all 37 Todd Akin quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-akin/)

## More Has beens quotes

> [Whatever meaning 'Annie's Song' had for me on a personal level, there was also a larger context. It could just as easily have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-denver/whatever-meaning-annie-s-song-had-for-me-on-a-personal-level-there/)

[John Denver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-denver/)

> [In the entire history of the universe, let alone in your own history, there has never been another day just like today, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/in-the-entire-history-of-the-universe-let-alone-in-your-own-history/)

[Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/)

> [The image of blacks usually is one of people who are suffering from hunger, unemployment, and poverty. The idea of them as agents and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-lee-boggs/the-image-of-blacks-usually-is-one-of-people-who-are-suffering-from/)

[Grace Lee Boggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-lee-boggs/)

> [Mankind have been slow to believe that order reigns in the universe-that the world is a cosmos and a chaos.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/mankind-have-been-slow-to-believe-that-order-reigns-in-the-universe/)

[James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/)

> [We find few historians who have been diligent enough in their search for truth; it is their common method to take on trust what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dryden/we-find-few-historians-who-have-been-diligent-enough-in-their-search/)

[John Dryden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dryden/)

> [Gambling has held human beings in thrall for millennia. It has been engaged in everywhere, from the dregs of society to the most respectable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-l-bernstein/gambling-has-held-human-beings-in-thrall-for-millennia-it-has-been/)

[Peter L. Bernstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-l-bernstein/)

> [And I have been very blessed, having coached some of the greatest that have ever played the game. But if I had to start…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/red-auerbach/and-i-have-been-very-blessed-having-coached-some-of-the-greatest-that/)

[Red Auerbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/red-auerbach/)

> [My folks tried to make a preacher of me and missed by a narrow margin… I would have made a good one if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/my-folks-tried-to-make-a-preacher-of-me-and-missed-by-a-narrow-margin/)

[Robert A. Heinlein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-a-heinlein/)

> [Here's the reality. The image of a white Jesus has been used to justify enslavement, conquest, colonialism, the genocide of indigenous peoples. There are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-wise/here-s-the-reality-the-image-of-a-white-jesus-has-been-used-to/)

[Tim Wise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-wise/)

> [A lot of people have been saying 'The 100' reminds them of 'Lord Of The Flies,' 'Lost' and 'Battlestar Galactica,' and all of those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marie-avgeropoulos/a-lot-of-people-have-been-saying-the-100-reminds-them-of-lord-of-the/)

[Marie Avgeropoulos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marie-avgeropoulos/)

> [I've long believed one of the mainsprings of our own liberty has been the widespread ownership of property among our people and the expectation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/i-ve-long-believed-one-of-the-mainsprings-of-our-own-liberty-has-been/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [During the last 17 years... I have been working at the restoration of a once exhausted hillside. Its scars are now healed over, though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendell-berry/during-the-last-17-years-i-have-been-working-at-the-restoration-of-a/)

[Wendell Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendell-berry/)

> [I don't want this to be a distraction. This has been distracting enough. I'm not going to rehash this going forward. I'm sure other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayson-werth/i-don-t-want-this-to-be-a-distraction-this-has-been-distracting/)

[Jayson Werth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayson-werth/)

> [Once I committed to acting, this has been it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernie-hudson/once-i-committed-to-acting-this-has-been-it/)

[Ernie Hudson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernie-hudson/)

> [The world's history is a divine poem, of which the history of every nation is a canto, and every man a word. Its strains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/the-world-s-history-is-a-divine-poem-of-which-the-history-of-every/)

[James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/)

[Browse all 17,972 Has beens quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/has-beens/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Now, Social Security through the years, for many many people, has been a terrible investment. It's really a tax, that's all it is. Social Security is a tax.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Todd Akin"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-akin/now-social-security-through-the-years-for-many-many-people-has-been-a/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Has beens"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-akin/now-social-security-through-the-years-for-many-many-people-has-been-a/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77a/todd-akin-17203_has-beens_now-social-security-through-the-years-fo_1691543.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77a/todd-akin-17203_has-beens_now-social-security-through-the-years-fo_1691543.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/77a/todd-akin-17203_has-beens_now-social-security-through-the-years-fo_1691543.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Now, Social Security through the years, for many many people, has been a terrible investment. It's really a…” — Todd Akin",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Todd Akin",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/todd-akin/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Now, Social Security through the years,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-akin/now-social-security-through-the-years-for-many-many-people-has-been-a/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/todd-akin/now-social-security-through-the-years-for-many-many-people-has-been-a/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
