"A fundamental paradox of Social Security is that while it was perhaps the most populist program the federal government ever created, welcoming all American workers as participants regardless of need, crucial decisions about it were always made by a remarkably small group of policymakers. Congressional committee chairs, actuaries, and a few influential outside policy strategists managed the evolution of the program, always in near-total isolation from the public." [Editor's note: The linked article is a review of the book, "The People's Pension: The Struggle to Defend Social Security Since Reagan," by Eric Laursen; the foregoing quote is from the book.]

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