It is not sustainable unless something changes drastically: a big die off of old people, change the age at which people are eligible, more people paying into the system and paying higher percentages. Any combination of those may not set off riots, but it will certainly alienate those who are trying to eke out a living in this economy. This one is going to get ugly.
“This year, the system will pay out more in benefits than it receives in payroll taxes, an important threshold it was not expected to cross until at least 2016, according to the Congressional Budget Office.”
