It actually doesn't have to. There's a fairly straightforward fix: eliminate the salary cap.
Right now any salary above $184,500 is not subject to social security tax. That's "fair" in that there's also a limit to how much social security you can receive, but "fairness" isn't the goal of Social Security. It's an insurance program against the risk of outliving your accumulated wealth. It always benefits the poor at the cost of the rich. And it could do so more.
The alternative is there. Which alternative we should pick is up to the democratic process. But it's false to say that the promise must be broken.
It is, however, correct to say that the promise *will* be broken if something isn't done about it.
Right now any salary above $184,500 is not subject to social security tax. That's "fair" in that there's also a limit to how much social security you can receive, but "fairness" isn't the goal of Social Security. It's an insurance program against the risk of outliving your accumulated wealth. It always benefits the poor at the cost of the rich. And it could do so more.
The alternative is there. Which alternative we should pick is up to the democratic process. But it's false to say that the promise must be broken.
It is, however, correct to say that the promise *will* be broken if something isn't done about it.