Had those recipients just invested in an index fund with those SS funds into the S&P, they would be rich.
The law never protects people when it comes to costs or wages. A forced increased wage, begets a forced increased cost, all of which is then passed onto the consumer, just like the meme points out.
People will only ever be paid their worth and value will always be driven by costs, supply and demand. No law will or has changed that.