I call bullshit. Germany is a welfare state, and their fiscal problems are nothing compared to ours. The banksters create financial armageddon, require the effective nationalization of the finance sector to the tune of 23 Trillion - all the while enjoying bonuses. And now we focus on some old person's social security check? I'm not giving governments a free pass with bloated and expensive buraucracies. But let's not forget that the bankster pigmen pretty much got dibs on any money governments could muster before the unfunded liabilities hit. The article ignores this. The writer loses all credibility, IMHO.