Al Polk landed a job at a cutting-tool plant in his early 20s and then promptly started paying Social Security taxes—every week, 12 months a year, without a break, for decades.

Polk realized that collective responsibility for Social Security ensured a dignified retirement for all, and he took pride in holding up his end of a sacred compact with millions of fellow Americans.

Now 82, Polk continues to enjoy his golden years because of Social Security and his union-negotiated pension. But he knows that future generations of workers will be forced to scrape by in retirement or toil until they die—unless the wealthy finally begin paying their fair share to Social Security, a lifeline at ever greater risk of insolvency.

“Remove the cap, and you don’t have to worry about it,” observed Polk, a longtime activist with the United Steelworkers (USW) from Mansfield, Massachusetts, noting that more equitable contributions from the uber-rich would end the funding crisis in short order.

“It’s an easy fix,” he added. “It’s not going to hurt anybody.”

The federal government imposes Social Security taxes only on the first $184,500 in wages, no matter how much money a person makes in 2026. Because of this arbitrary and nonsensical cap, hundreds of the nation’s richest people paid their Social Security taxes within the first few minutes or hours of 2026.

Now, despite the pressing need to shore up the Social Security trust funds, they’re sitting out the rest of the year.

Nothing illustrates this rigged system better than the case of Elon Musk, the richest person in the world, who rakes in so much money at so great a speed that he effectively paid all of his required Social Security taxes on his wage earnings by 12:15 a.m. on January 1, 2026.

On the other hand, more than 160 million ordinary working people—Americans who perform essential jobs but never come close to pocketing $184,500 a year—will keep contributing to Social Security through December 31.

Working people like Polk, who spent much of his life negotiating contracts for union colleagues and holding employers accountable, understand the power of shared prosperity and a strong middle class.

But the rich have a selfish view. They’re bent on 

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