Numerous commissions, advisory groups, and individual policy analysts have concluded that Social Security reform is essential, but numerous politicians do not want it to happen on their watch. Meanwhile, the public remains confused. Analysts widely agree on how to approach the problem. Whether leaning left or right, most say we should rely less on the pay-as-you-go approach and try to fund a portion of benefits--that is, invest part of individual contributions in real assets so that lifetime benefits depend more on the rate of return to real capital and less on such demographic factors as birth rates and expected life spans.