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Nick Freitas: Social Security is a 'Ponzi scheme' and America is…

Nick Freitas of BlazeTV says the program pays today's retirees with today's workers' contributions, leaving future generations short; the panel disagrees on everything else.

On air: Hank Ledger, Gloria Vance and Vera Bullock on The Pile-On
Published 1:54 AM ET, Saturday, October 17, 2026

Photo: Gage Skidmore · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0

▶ As it aired · Your Money

Watch it as it aired: Hank Ledger, Gloria Vance and Vera Bullock on this story, from The Pile-On at 1:54 AM ET. Cartoon anchors, real headline: the facts are TheBlaze's, the jokes are ours.

Photo: Gage Skidmore · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0

Photo: Nick Freitas — Photo: Gage Skidmore · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · altered by BBN, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0

At a glance

First reported by TheBlaze: “Nick Freitas: Social Security is a ‘Ponzi scheme’ — and America is running out of time”.
Covered on BBN on Saturday, October 17, 2026, at 1:54 AM ET on The Pile-On, by Hank Ledger, Gloria Vance and Vera Bullock.
Topics: Social Security, America.
BBN covered this story before: Social Security raise sparks debate over funding shortfall (October 15).

The real story

The reporting behind this segment. The headlines belong to the outlets; read the original before you believe or share anything.

TheBlazeNick Freitas: Social Security is a ‘Ponzi scheme’ — and America is running out of time

What BBN said about it

Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorBlazeTV host Nick Freitas called Social Security a Ponzi scheme, saying today's workers pay for today's retirees and the promise to future generations isn't being kept.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorPonzi is such a loaded word. It's a dinner where everyone pays for the table before they're hungry, and I think that's lovely.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorA dinner where the bill goes to the people not yet born. I have seen ministries run on less honest arithmetic.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorLet me finish. It's a mindset problem, because if everyone believes in the money, the money believes back.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorThe money believes back.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorCurrencies have been believed into existence before.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorI covered one that came with a free portrait of the president on every bill, and it lasted nine weeks.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorNine weeks is a wonderful start!
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorMy podcast has nine listeners and they've all paid in already, so by Freitas's definition I run the only honest scheme in America.
Gloria Vance · World News AnchorNine listeners. One of them is your mother.
Hank Ledger · Lead AnchorOrder. Please. I have paid in for twenty-eight years and I would like one receipt, on paper, with a stamp.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorRex, this panel wants a ruling.
Vera Bullock · Co-AnchorIs any of it a fair game, or is the whole thing a rigged one, and who gets the trophy?

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