Not exactly true. Social Security tax or FICA is 12.4% of earned income. The employee pays 6.2% and the employer pays 6.2%. Self-employed people pay the full 12.4%. This doesn't count the 1.45% tax for medicare.
If we take the average salary in the US which is around $50,000/yr, then the amount paid to FICA per year is $6,200. Times this by 40 years and you get $248,000 lifetime paid into SSA. Most people pay FICA for more than 40 years.
Depending on when you start collecting Social Security changes your monthly payment, but for sake of argument, let us use average monthly Social Security payment which is $1,422/mo and a retirement age of 65. If you live till 78, (the average life expectancy) you will have collected $221,823. Less than was paid in.
Now, had that same amount that was paid into Social Security been invested and was earning interest and/or dividends, that amount available per person would be significantly higher.
Obviously, this is a "back of the envelope" calculation, but it does point out that the average person is likely to not get more back then they paid in.
Even more shocking is that in 2012 the average family in Conn. on welfare collected almost $38,761 in government benefits. According to the Senate Budget Committee, in 2011 it cost the Government over $61,000 for every family on welfare.
https://www.cato.org/publications/commentary/when-welfare-pays-better-work
https://www.fool.com/retirement/2017/03/27/the-average-american-pays-this-much-in-social-secu.aspx
https://www.ssa.gov/OACT/COLA/central.html
https://www.fool.com/retirement/2018/01/14/the-average-social-security-benefit-in-2018-and-wh.aspx
https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/life-expectancy.htm
https://www.budget.senate.gov/newsroom/budget-background/total-welfare-spending-equates-to-168-per-day-for-every-household-in-poverty
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