Some good stuff.

Social Security will continue to make payments as long as the people demand it at the ballot box. It does not matter if the money in the Treasury or coming in from payroll taxes covers the cost. You are pointing out that the stage is being set to eliminate the payroll tax and the payments but that would require the consent of the governed. We can deny that consent but like you indicated the governed have been and can be duped.

In some ways Social Security is a flawed program. First it is a sort of Ponzi scheme, it quickly acquired obligations greater than its trust fund, depending on future taxes to make projected payments.

Second it was sold like it was a pension with shared funding from employers and workers. I think today it is more like a social welfare program financed by a regressive tax. We might be ready to end the payroll tax and pay the benefit from the general fund then we don't need to discuss the solvency issue just the general issue about deficit spending. We then could also eliminate some of the eligibility issue regarding how much you paid in and how much you get out. We could just pay everyone disabled or over 69 years old a flat inflation adjusted monthly income.