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cussion is not American in character. “Saving the system.” We don’t serve systems in our free country. We preserve the freedom and integrity of individuals.

The nation’s founders, who pledged “our lives, our fortunes, our sacred honor” for the ideals of the Declaration of Independence would be aghast that today practically every young American is forced to pay a tax into a Social Security program that cannot fiscally honor its promised benefits.

They would also be aghast that the pedigree of the largest federal program is not American. The first social security system — where citizens were taxed by government, which then promised to take care of them — was introduced in 1889 by German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck. This was the beginning of the modern welfare state, which inspired Franklin Roosevelt to sign America’s social security system into law in 1935.

Immediately after Roosevelt signed Social Security into law, its constitutionality, appropriately, was challenged. Transfer payments — taxing one set of citizens to pay for benefits for another set of citizens — never existed in America and were not viewed as constitutional.

However, the Roosevelt- era Supreme Court, by vastly expanding understanding of the Constitution’s “general welfare” clause, opened the door to German socialism in America.

The massive growth of entitlement and welfare spending — transfer payments — goes back to that 1937 court decision Helvering v. Davis, which deemed transfer payments, and Social Security, constitutional.

While Jefferson and Lincoln look out onto the national mall in Washington, the spirit of German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck hovers over the whole city.

To succeed at this transformational opportunity, I hope Musk will appreciate that first and foremost, this is not about budgeting and accounting but about ideas and principles.

No one proposes to threaten Social Security benefits current retirees receive. That is sacred.

But we must free young Americans, our future, from failed German socialism, and return them to American capitalism. At least give them a choice — a choice to take ownership of the funds, now being taxed and forced into a broken system, and invest them, over a working lifetime, in the American economy.

Washington is now so jaded, our establishment now so confused and corrupt, no one believes it can be done.

But it can be done, and Elon Musk can do it. I pray he’ll step up to this historic leadership challenge and save our nation.

Star Parker is founder of the Center for Urban Renewal and Education. Her recent book, “What Is the CURE for America?” is available now. To find out more about Star Parker and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators. com. COPYRIGHT 2025 CREATORS. COM