I don't think it shouldn't be counted in government spending. It's basically funded in the same way that other government programs are funded; an income tax. To me the only real difference is that they take it before it's 'your' income, and then make it so it can't be used for other purposes instead of introduced into the general fund. However it is extremely regressive and most people don't understand it as a tax. I just wrote a paper in which a worker is given their 7.65% payroll deduction back, invests 50% in a conservative fund with a 6% return over the life of it. Not only does this beat the payments of social security by $230 a month, but it only requires 10% of the original business contribution. That drastically increases the income of the worker (it's equivalent to getting a 3.8% raise), better provides for their retirement, creates jobs, etc. All by giving people back their money. The only problem is that some people are going to just spend the money instead of saving for retirement.