I have been both an employee and consultant in my career.  This experience can really teach people about the size and scope of government.  The oppressive nature of government.  The raw deal government gives us, etc...  If you are an employee, you receive an IRS form W2 come tax time describing your income, taxes, etc...  You fill out your tax forms and ABRACADABRA!  You likely receive a refund.  Then come your birthday, you receive a Social Security Administration document describing your expected monthly benefits at retirement.  Here is what you don't see...  Your employer paid additional taxes for you matching your SSN and Medicare deductions.  Assume you make $50,000 per year.  You paid $3,100 in SSN taxes (6.2%) and $725 (1.45%) in Medicare taxes as did your employer.  That is a total of $7,650 in taxes without counting Federal/State yet or 15.3%!  Herein lies the problem...  We essentially have a European style VAT tax built into our wages.  If SSN/Medicare taxes worked as did Federal/State, you would have a salary of $53,825 since your employer would have less expenses, but your W2 would reflect $8,235 in SSN/Medicare taxes.  Not $3,825.  Now that is transparency.  How would that make you feel?  That is how those who are paid via IRA form 1099 feel.  They pay the full SSN/Medicare taxes.  How would it make you feel if you knew your effective Federal/State tax rate was LOWER than your SSN/Medicare rate?  How would you react to SSN partial/full/repeal knowing so much was going into this near bankrupt program?  Let me pour more salt on the wound...  You and your employer's $6,200 contribution each year amounts to $217,000 from ages 30 to 65.  What if you had put it into a private account at a small 3% rate?  $375,000!  Not only that, but YOU control it.  Want to cash all out at once?  No problem.  Want to leave it sit.  No problem.  You OWN it.  I would bet your month SSN check amount is around $1,000.  What if you and your wife die?  Money lost.  Game over.  You see, why must employers be burdened with collecting taxes on our behalf?  Shouldn't our wages be increased and the taxes paid directly by us?  You will have noticed that your taxes paid actually went up when your salary went up.  Well, you are making more now and that is how it works.  SSN was originally created to help out a small group of poor widows and it now accounts for the number one source of retirement income for many because of constant expansion.  I would personally argue for the repeal of the 401(k), IRA, Roth IRA, SEP, etc...  Why not just have one account we can contribute to tax free?  No limits.  No penalties. Contribute all you want.  Withdraw when you want and pay the taxes then.  We should be REWARDING savings.  Not punishing it.  Think of all the investment capital that would create.  Wow!  Instead, if you want to pay your home off early with retirement income you have to deal with a 10% penalty, perhaps other restrictions, etc...  Imagine the possibilities though...  You get paid $54,000 and save $6,000 per year tax free until age 65.  What if your kid wants to go to college?  Take it out of the tax free account, pay taxes on it, and pay for the schooling...  Done!  All savings should be tax free.  Now that is TRUE freedom...  The naysayers cam complain about the lost government revenue or the irresponsible behavior of people, but SSN/Medicare are unfunded to the tune of $50 to $75 trillion...  Any questions?  There is also an argument to be made that our paychecks should have zero withholding and we mail the government a check each quarter.  How would sending that $5,000 check fours times per year feel?  Would you care more about all the taxes that are levied and how they are spent?  Yes?  Good!  Now let us take it a step further.  The Federal gas tax is $0.25 approx.  Why?  Can't the states build their own roads?  There is already a State gas tax.  Perhaps $0.08 or so.  What if we dumped the Department of Transportation and their $70 billion budget?  Just has states collect gas taxes?  How about education?  The Department of Education has a $50 billion budget.  What if we eliminated them and each state just got $1 billion?  How would that help?  Get the picture?  Government is oppressive and bloated.  It wastes and destroys.  I say return the wealth to the rightful owners...  TAXPAYERS...