Dead People Aren’t Bankrupting Us
Last night, Trump held his State of the Union that was technically not the State of the Union (because the union purportedly hasn’t been updated enough during a president’s first term to qualify), but rather a joint address to Congress.
It was exactly what you’d expect. Trump emphasized border security and law enforcement, the cuts made by the Department of Government Efficiency—at one point questionably touting all the fraud that he implies is partially responsible for the Social Security program being in such dire fiscal straits—and the importance of ending the war in Ukraine. He repeatedly came back to his own popularity and his mandate to make sweeping changes. He talked up his executive orders, including the one emphasizing that there are two genders and that the Department of Education will slash funding for schools that go against that message. He brought out a girl who had been subjected to deepfake pornography. He very cutely gave DJ Daniel, a little boy who loves the police and is suffering from brain cancer, an honorary position in the Secret Service. He talked about the murders of Laken Riley and Jocelyn Nungaray at the hands of Tren de Aragua gang members and about how he had designated cartels as “foreign terrorist organizations.”
Early in the speech, Texas Rep. Al Green, a Democrat, stood up and shouted, “You have no mandate to cut Medicaid,” before being ejected from the chamber. Democrats protested with silly little Fogo de Chão paddles begging to be memed, and there was a fair amount of right-wing consternation at their seeming refusal to stand or clap during the sweet DJ Daniel moment.
Crazy, untrue stuff about Social Security fraud: “Believe it or not, government databases list 4.7 million Social Security members from people aged 100 to 109 years old. It lists 3.6 million people from ages 110 to 119. I don’t know any of them. I know some people who are rather elderly but not quite that elderly,” said Trump, before continuing: “3.47 million people from ages 120 to 129. 3.9 million people from ages 130 to 139. 3.5 million people from ages 140 to 149. And money is being paid to many of them, and we are searching right now.… 1.3 million people from ages 150 to 159, and over 130,000 people, according to the Social Security databases, are age over 160 years old. We have a healthier country than I thought, Bobby,” Trump concluded, letting the camera pan to head of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
OK, so that last line was funny. (Also, missed opportunity to mock Joe Biden for his age, but I digress.) But these stats just aren’t true.
“Part of the confusion comes from Social Security’s software system based on the COBOL programming language, which has a lack of date type,” reported the Associated Press last month in response to DOGE reports about improper payments. “This means that some entries with missing or incomplete birthdates will default to a reference point of more than 150 years ago.” (The agency auto-stops payments to those older than 115.) The Social Security Administration’s inspector general has admitted as much: The agency is really struggling to figure out how to “properly annot
Article from Reason.com
The Reason Magazine website is a go-to destination for libertarians seeking cogent analysis, investigative reporting, and thought-provoking commentary. Championing the principles of individual freedom, limited government, and free markets, the site offers a diverse range of articles, videos, and podcasts that challenge conventional wisdom and advocate for libertarian solutions. Whether you’re interested in politics, culture, or technology, Reason provides a unique lens that prioritizes liberty and rational discourse. It’s an essential resource for those who value critical thinking and nuanced debate in the pursuit of a freer society.
