Social Security do you really think it will be around for you?

The other day several coworkers and I were discussing the pros and cons of the social security system. I stated I believed it should be dissolved in favor of private funds, and was almost attacked by my fellow workers. Social Security is such a sensitive issue most politicians avoid it; not me I jump in head first.
Social Security in the United States is a social insurance program funded through dedicated payroll taxes called FICA It was initially signed into law by President Roosevelt in 1935. The Social Security Administration is headquartered in Woodlawn, Maryland .
Facts taken from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_Security_%28United_States%29

Let me explain why I believe this way.
In 2004, some $492 billion of benefits were paid to 47.5 million beneficiaries. It is now projected that the system will run out of funds by 2020. That is only 13 years from now. I will only be 58 years old, not even old enough to retire. 67 is my projected retirement age. I believe I could do a better job investing the same funds privately. There are so many tools available to the private investor today: to monitor accounts, transfer funds, even automated advisors. I am not alone many others feel the same way. Several organizations considered it a crucial issue, such as the Heritage Foundation and Cato Institute. They lobby for some form of Social Security privatization.

I also believe that the government is too restrained to take advantage of the technologies available to improve social security, such preventing fraud by comparing databases to death certificates before checks are written. Allowing individuals to invest their own social security funds and choose the risk they are willing to take for higher returns. My current 401 K is available online and I can move investments around. The government’s ability to make changes is to slow for today’s world. I have seen recently an adoption of many technologies, such as online accounts, direct deposit, and debit cards instead of checks. Maybe there is some hope still.
Here are a few interesting sites dealing with this very subject.
http://www.socialsecurity.org/
http://www.whitehouse.gov/infocus/social-security/
http://www.socialsecurity.gov/retire2/