Steve's barking that modern economics may be a Ponzi scheme

Got your attention.
I was talking the other day to some one who is pretty new to the work force, and that person was complaining about why should new workers pay into social security when it would not be there for those who are young and just starting out. I told this person even the worst case scenario those starting out would receive 75% of what they were entitled too.
As I was telling this I couldn't help but recall a bunch of no nothings telling me that Social Security was nothing more then a Ponzi scheme.
Now another more appropriate name for Ponzi scheme would be pyramid scheme. Now thinking over   the stock market, that would be the perfect pyramid, new investors putting new money into stocks raising the price and wealth of previous investors, thus creating a pyramid type structure.
Now what about banks don't they take money from people with the promise to pay back with maybe a little interest, giving (lending) that money out to get interest, creating a pyramid type of deal, with the depositor on the bottom of the pyramid.
Now banks and stocks could go on for years, decades, or even centuries with out having to the investors or the depositors ever loosing a penny, but they are still party of a pyramid even though with out them there would probably be no economy.

There is nothing wrong with an economic pyramid. There is something wrong when the pyramid is based on a pack of lies, and even then it's possible to advance the economy, and not get caught.

The pyramid can and does get caught in bubbles.