Esquire : The idea is growing that the old get all the benefits while young suffer . But retirees have earned and saved more over the work years and should live in comfort , he says . Curbing costs of health care would curb Social Security ; he writes : Medicare can pay for itself . Etzioni : In terms of private money , older people give more than $ 170,000 to the young in gifts .
Amitai Etzioni : The idea is growing that the old get all the benefits while young suffer . But retirees have earned and saved more over the years and should live in comfort , he says . Curbing costs of health care would curb Medicare ; he writes : Social Security can pay for itself . Etzioni : In terms of private money , older people give trillions of dollars to the young in gifts .