"The real sin with Social Security is that it's a long-term rip-off and a short-term scam"

This quote by Tony Snow is describing the Social Security system in the United States. He is saying that in the long-lasting, Social Security is a rip-off due to the fact that it does not offer sufficient cash for individuals to live comfortably in retirement. In the short-term, it is a rip-off due to the fact that the money that people pay into the system is not sufficient to cover the benefits that they will receive in the future. Snow is implying that the system is not sustainable which it is not providing enough cash for people to live comfortably in retirement. He is likewise suggesting that the system is benefiting from people by not providing them with sufficient money to reside on in their later years. Snow's quote is a criticism of the Social Security system and its absence of sustainability.