Disproportionate outrage, once again. Yes, SSA / Treasury didn’t have legal standing, and yes, there were enormous abuses of administrative and due process, and yes, the extra-legality would have been obvious from the start to anyone managing this collection activity. But they did stop as soon as it was publicly exposed in the media.
Not a big deal, not a sign of an out of control, entitled government.
Yeah, I’m putting up a strawman…. But you read the lefty comments in the comment threads, and its absurd.
Zingy Skyway Lunch 
what are you talking about? Clearly it was legal–the article states that it was legal under the 2008 Farm bill passed by Congress over President Bush’s veto (so it had widespread bipartisan congressional support). http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/15/washington/15cnd-farm.html?_r=0
There are probably good arguments that this is not constitutional–after all, many of the debts were not incurred by those whose refunds were being attached–but no courts of law has as yet so ruled, so you have to assume that it is constitutional unitl there is a ruling against it. More importantly, it doesn’t pass the common sense standard–I expect that pretty much anyone who heard about this thought that it was silly and unfair. Shows good sense to stop it.
But never take comments sections too seriously
They are within the recently revised statute of limitations, yes. It’s the methods where they went beyond having given themselves new authority in a very extralegal and obnoxious way. Treasury / SSA seemingly invented for themselves the authority to assert debts without evidence, disclaimed any obligations to validate those debts, and refused administrative review to the debtors. That’s baloney
http://ericposner.com/can-the-government-recover-from-children-on-account-of-social-security-overpayments-to-their-parents/