Raiding SS traces back to Ronald Reagan.

Some interesting reading here of Warren Buffett interviewing Henry Paulson (there's more lengthy discussion elsewhere on the net).

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/businesstechnology/2011027585_buffettpaulson10.html

"taxpayers will recover every cent paid out to banks during the economic meltdown and may even turn a profit."

"And he said the United States is better off today than most countries."
"Every other major economy has many more significant challenges than we do"

To me this last one is key. This may bode very well for the US Dollar.