Social Insecurity

​The other day, a friend wrote me, gnashing his teeth about “the appalling Social Security chaos.”  And then asked, basically rhetorically, addressing his own views on how problematic he felt this would be for Trump, “Why do I expect that to destroy him in the next round of polling?”

Though it was more a statement than question, it deserved a response.  In large part because it allowed me to address a little-remembered quote I’ve had in mind for many years, most especially every time Republicans – and now MAGOPs – raise their fevered dream of ending Social Security by privatizing it.

It’s an answer that comes from 71 years ago by President Dwight Eisenhower who wrote in a letter to his brother –

“Should any political party attempt to abolish social security unemployment insurance and eliminate labor laws and farm programs you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group of course that believes you can do these things. Among them are a few other Texas oil millionaires and an occasional politician or business man from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid.”

Well, that’s pretty pointed.

It's a quote I’ve long remembered.  Far more importantly, it’s one that MAGOPs, given that they are heirs of President Eisenhower’s party, seem to have long ago forgotten.

By the way, the problem for MAGOPs with their efforts this time is they seem to think that the public will be experience all the new problems brewing with Social Security and blame them on the system and create outrage, in order to privatize it -- but I think it's overwhelmingly more likely that Trump, Musk and the MAGOPs is who will be blamed, since they are who very publicly have been making all the unnecessary changes and trying to dismantle it.  Which returns us to Dwight Eisenhower's quote they've overlooked.

Most every news story these days that comes out of Trump and embraced by MAGOPs in Congress these days as their own ranges between reprehensible on the low end and fascist at the top.  But I feel encouraged in my belief, closing on near certainty that as hellish as it is, it will come back to bite them all.  Most especially about Social Security.  That’s because a great many people rely on those payments to…well, y’know, actually live.  And because those most affected by Social Security are seniors, who are the demographic that votes the most.  And because it’s called an “entitlement” – though not, as MAGOPs seem to presume and hate it for being an elitist privilege abused by the undeserving, but -- because people spent their working years putting their own money into the system, which is why they are quite literally entitled to getting it back.

Which is why Dwight Eisenhower, a president of their own party, said that if any political party attempt to abolish Social Security, “you would not hear of that party again in our political history.”  And MAGOPs have forgotten their own history.

That’s one major reason why the tone-deaf giddiness of Commerce Secretary Howard Lutkin – a billionaire who never seems to miss an opportunity to be his own worst enemy – is so problematic.  There he is on video, cavalierly explaining why his sweet, gentle mother-in-law wouldn’t ever complain if she missed a Social Security payment (cushioned, no doubt, he fails to grasp, by having a billionaire son-in-law), while he slams those who critically rely on Social Security and who, he insists, would complain if there was a problem receiving their checks – making them, in Lukin’s snarky words, “fraudsters.  All of which only serves to highlight how much the party of Eisenhower has totally forgotten the words of its former leader, who as a general helped defeat fascism.

When the first Social Security payment is delayed in any way, or there is any hiccup in the new set-up, I can’t wait to see Democratic ads with the deeply smug Commerce Secretary Lutkin flooding the airwaves.

But it’s far worse than all that.  Because the disaster-in-waiting is a tsunami about to hit the shores in just days, on April 1.  (And don’t tell me that isn’t God having a laugh at the irony of it all.)  That’s the day new claimants and any existing recipients of Social Security who wants to change where their payment goes must either validate their personal account online – or go in person to a local Social Security office.  And wait in line to do so.  Providing they can find a local office, since Trump/Musk are shutting them down.  (No word from Mr. Lutkin if his mother-in-law would be okay with that.)

I should add here – for reasons unrelated to this – that I’ve previously validated my account online.  And while at heart it’s easy – as long as you’re not in your 80s or 90s (y’know, core members of Social Security) and you also have a computer – it can be a convoluted process.  And actually was for me -- and I wrote a tech column for 18 years.  And am not in my 90s.  First issue: it requires taking a photo of your driver’s license and attaching that to the online form to send to a validation service.  Second issue:  It took me 30-45 minutes because I kept getting an error message because the photo has to be taken near-perfectly so that their validation software can read it properly.  The actions needed are easy, but reality has a way of rearing its ugly head.  And it was hugely frustrating.  That's for me.  For many others, the world of computers and technology is terrifying.

This shouldn’t be a common problem for most people – but when there are tens of million people in the system, even an uncommon problem risks being a calamity.   Even if everything goes perfectly, with all those millions trying to find a local office (that hasn’t closed to wait at), and all the people trying to validate online at the same time, since that raises the question -- at what point does the website crash?

Now add in the only alternative of going out, finding the nearest office, and waiting in a very long line.  And then add in if you no longer drive

Get those TV ads with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutkin ready…

This utterly unnecessary process risks being a cruel mess.  (But then, as it’s often been said with most Trump actions, cruelty is the point.)  But it’s not just a mess to those directly affected.  Because all those seniors affected have adult children (and grandchildren) they’ll be calling for help so that mom and dad, and grandpa and grandma can get their Social Security money to help them live.

This has all the signs of a major disaster for Trump, Musk and the MAGOPs in Congress who support it, are complicit and who’ve made Trump’s policies their own.

And because it can’t be said too often, in the words of Dwight Eisenhower – ““Should any political party attempt to abolish social security unemployment insurance and eliminate labor laws and farm programs you would not hear of that party again in our political history.”