Millions of people will soon be applying for benefits and the program needs some sort of reform if it wants to remain financially solvent. The irony of this problem is that Social Security was set up in part as a reaction to the Great Depression. Its inherent purpose was to provide a safe and stable income during retirement. When the Federal Insurance Contribution Act (FICA) was passed in 1937, the payroll tax needed to fund the system was only 2%, not a bad deal for a promise of secure income during retirement. Needless to say, that payroll tax has increased gradually up to its current 12.4% level. Some politicians may finally be realizing that raising taxes isn’t necessarily the solution.