Wisconsin Democrat nailed with brutal backlash over ignorant claim about Social Security

A Wisconsin Democrat's claim about Social Security was ripped to shreds by critics on social media who accused him of purposely misleading people about the program.

Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Wisc.) tried to drum up opposition to the Trump administration's efforts to reform Social Security by implying that they were somehow taking money that was stashed away for the program.

'When politicians say, "Let's be clear," it means, "I'm about to lie to you."'

"Let’s be clear: Social Security is your f**king money," wrote Pocan on social media.

Pocan was demolished on social media for the financially illiterate take.

"It *should* be your f**king money, but since SS was set up as a Ponzi scheme instead of individual accounts, it’s not," responded entrepreneur and business expert Carol Roth.

"Classic case of how when politicians say, 'Let's be clear,' it means, 'I'm about to lie to you,'" replied Dominic Pino of the American Institute for Economic Research.

"I would like to withdraw my money from the lockbox," responded commentator Mary Katharine Ham.

"This is factually and practically not true. Social Security is simply a welfare program that we all have to pay into. Your family has some other benefits but that is it. Heck, you aren't even guaranteed to get all your money back (though most people do... But not everyone)," replied Pradheep Shanker of National Review.

"Huge numbers of Americans have received much more money than they paid into the system. It's not 'your money.' If it were, I'd definitely take it back and invest in something that offers me a decent rate of return," said Mark Hemingway of RealClearInvestigations.

Social Security was instituted by Congress in 1935 over concerns that elderly Americans were impoverished and needed financial support from the federal government. The money collected at that time was immediately sent out to beneficiaries who had not previously paid into the system.

The program has since been hurtling toward insolvency at a greater pace over the years as the average U.S. age climbs higher and population growth has slowed.

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