Actually, you can login to ss.gov and see what you estimated benefits will be. So you don't have to speculate "maybe $24K a year".

When I was young, I was against SS. I wanted an opt-out option. In hindsight, I would have been fine doing that (based on the fact that I retired last year without SS). But the government could potentially have to pay a lot more is welfare if they didn't have SS in place, because lots and lots of folks don't save (or, in many cases, don't earn enough to save much even if they wanted to). If people could opt-out, I would insist on a feature that says "don't come seeking welfare or food stamps if you blow all your money". There have to be consequences (just like with bank bail-outs...we shouldn't bail those effers out without getting to toss a lot of them in prison).

In the end I looked at it as paying for mom. She got SS, and it was my payroll deductions that were funding it. OK fine.