12 hours Ago
The current Republican administration is staffed with people unlike any I know. These are not regular folks. Some days I wonder whether our government has been invaded by a different species altogether.
Take Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. On March 20, he said that “no one except a fraudster” would be upset if they didn’t receive their monthly Social Security check. Lutnick, who is worth $2.
1 billion , is not speaking from experience. But he’s speaking anyway. Carol Gardner is a writer who lives in Alna.
Lutnick’s colleague, Elon Musk, calls Social Security “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time,” saying that there are “tens of millions” of dead persons and illegal immigrants receiving payments from the system. President Trump echoed Musk in his State of the Union speech, saying that Social Security databases reveal “3.5 million people from ages 140 to 149,” and that “money is being paid to many of them.
” But they forgot to read the fine print. Although records for those millions of persons do not list their dates of death, they are not receiving benefits . Oops.
But saying it, whether true or not, helps to weaken the system. The irony is as rich as Musk himself. The world’s wealthiest individual — who believes that “the fundamental weakness of Western Civilization is empathy” — feels compelled to cut the only source of income for millions of working-class Americans.
“Most of the federal spending is entitlements,” Musk told Fox Business Network. “That’s the big one to eliminate.” Never mind that most of us — Mr.
Musk excepted — have been paying into the system our whole lives, and that it is our money, not his, to play with. He’s rightly concerned about the federal deficit, but not enough to return or donate some of the $38 billion in government contracts, loans, tax breaks and subsidies that taxpayers have spotted him over the last 20 years. I know Mr.
Musk hails from South Africa, but sometimes I suspect he’s from farther away—like another solar system. That would explain his lack of humanity. Caught in a lie or not, Musk has plowed ahead.
He and DOGE have decided that individuals applying for Social Security cannot do so online. Whether they have disabilities, are without transportation, or are 149 years old, they must show up in person at an SSA office to verify their identity. At the same time, he proposes closing 47 of those offices .
No big deal, right? Applicants can simply pop over to SSA in their Teslas to register. Have there been problems with the Social Security system? Occasionally. But fraudulent claims accounted for less than 1% of all payments between 2015 and 2022.
The truth is, the program has worked well for 90 years, managing as much as $1.3 trillion annually. In the 1960s, my grandmother waited anxiously for her monthly $60 check.
Sixty years later, I wait for my direct deposit — at least for now. The Republican administration’s attitude toward Social Security illustrates its utter lack of understanding of who most Americans are, what we value and what we believe in. Most people I know say what they mean, correct their mistakes, value their reputations and work hard to ensure their families’ well-being and security.
But current government leaders prove daily that talk is cheap, lies are a useful tool, and that the billions in their swelling bank accounts will never be enough. When the Republican administration weighs middle-class Americans’ right to the money we invested in our future against the right of billionaires to have their tax cuts, their answer is clear: give it to the guys in the well-pressed suits. In the next election, if there is one, I hope Americans will be wiser.
I hope we’ll vote for and demand the appointment of people who are unashamed of compassion, who value honesty, and who understand that some dollars are harder earned than others. I hope we’ll elect politicians willing to serve us all, not just those in the top income bracket: people proud to stand on their humanity. We believe it’s important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers.
At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It’s a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others. Read more.
.. We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
For those stories that we do enable discussion, our system may hold up comments pending the approval of a moderator for several reasons, including possible violation of our guidelines. As the Maine Trust’s digital team reviews these comments, we ask for patience. Comments are managed by our staff during regular business hours Monday through Friday and limited hours on Saturday and Sunday.
Comments held for moderation outside of those hours may take longer to approve. By joining the conversation, you are agreeing to our commenting policy and terms of use . More information is found on our FAQs .
You can modify your screen name here . Show less Please sign into your Sun Journal account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe .
Questions? Please see our FAQs . Your commenting screen name has been updated. Send questions/comments to the editors.
.
