The Social Security system is efficient. It is not a Ponzi scheme, as White House adviser Elon Musk has characterized it.

Millions of Americans depend on the survival of Social Security in its current form, and the American public should be telling members of Congress that they should be doing everything they can to prevent the system from failing.

It has been proposed that individuals can no longer make appointments with Social Security by phone, and they must visit a local Social Security office. But Musk and his staff are closing local offices, and they are trying to fire thousands of current employees.

Social Security is understaffed now. If staff is reduced, local offices are closed and individuals can’t contact Social Security by phone, what is next? What is next is that the Social Security system, as we know it, will collapse, and payments to Social Security beneficiaries will stop being sent on time.

You should not believe the lies that Social Security is inefficient or corrupt. There is almost no record of errors in which individuals who are not entitled to Social Security benefits are receiving benefits.

It has been claimed that illegal immigrants are receiving benefits they are not entitled to. That is false. People who are living in the United States without legal status are not eligible for Social Security benefits. What’s more, many of them who work in the United States are required to pay FICA taxes, which fund Social Security and Medicare, two programs from which they will never benefit as long as they are undocumented.

Undocumented immigrants paid more than $25 billion in payroll taxes in 2022, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy. In other words, far from defrauding Social Security and Medicare, undocumented immigrants are subsidizing these programs.

Meanwhile, immigrants who are here legally and work for reliable employers are paying FICA taxes into Social Security, and they generally are only entitled to benefits after they have worked under Social Security for 10 years.

We cannot allow Social Security to fail. And that is what will happen if we allow Musk and his staff to continue to destroy an efficient system that millions of Americans depend upon, and millions more expect to depend in the future.

There is broad support across all demographics and political parties for strengthening the program, which is an effective system that should be improved to be financially secure for decades to come.

I recommend that every American who wants to see Social Security strengthened should write to their representative in the U.S. House and to their senators, and demand that they stop the proposed actions that prevent individuals from calling local Social Security offices for appointments; they must also stop closing local Social Security offices and stop firing of Social Security staff without regard to merit.

If we allow Social Security staff, offices and services to be cut further, it will become impossible for individuals who have earned sufficient work credits to apply for benefits. In addition, the waiting time to be approved for disability benefits will increase dramatically.

It is true that, in order to continue to maintain benefits at existing levels on a long-term basis, Congress will have to find ways to increase funding. But there are several ways that can be accomplished. For example, Congress could raise the income thresholds for FICA taxes. It could also change the age at which individuals are entitled to full benefits.

Not only should you write to your congressional representative and senators, but you should tell all your relatives, friends and acquaintances throughout the United States that they should be doing the same thing. You can find contact information for all the house members and senators at https://www.congress.gov/members/find-your-member.

It’s not often that I use this space to discuss political issues or urge you to contact your congressional representatives. Indeed, every week I try to educate readers on how they can save and invest to achieve a secure financial future.

The vast majority of Americans have faithfully contributed to the Social Security system, and they count on a benefit as a substantial part of their financial planning for retirement. However, any chance for financial security and dignity in old age will be taken away from millions of Americans if the program is driven into the ground. America cannot afford to let Social Security fail.

Elliot Raphaelson welcomes your questions and comments at raphelliot@gmail.com.