For years, Social Security has been the Third Rail of politics — the thing you couldn’t touch without getting zapped. After all, what politician in his/her right mind would want to mess with the backbone of the nation’s retirement system, not to mention upset the almost 40 million people collecting retirement benefits?In the past, almost nobody, but these days, it seems everybody is messing.
The concern is that the system, which provides an average monthly benefit of $1,335, will run out of money — not necessarily for the current crop of retirees or about-to-be retirees, but their children and grandchildren could see the bottom of the piggy bank unless something is done.
