Letter: Social Security is insurance, not a tax

The continuing confusion regarding our nation’s Social Security program is again apparent from the Oct. 2 commentary from Parker Short. This serious misunderstanding — shared by a large number of citizens — is simply that Social Security is not a tax in the usual sense. It is an insurance program.The 6.2 percent deduction from wages, plus another 6.2 percent from the employer, becomes an insurance premium toward participants’ old age — should the participants live t