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Mar 18, 2010

Dog Tags And Social Security


Republicans have been making many outrageous claims about the health care reform package that is pending in Congress. Republican scare tactics are not new. This sort of thing happened when Social Security was introduced. This is from the Social Security Administration's website:
The publisher William Randolph Hearst was a fervent enemy of President Roosevelt and the New Deal. All the newspapers in the Hearst chain were expected to regularly publish unfavorable stories about New Deal programs. On the eve of the 1936 presidential election Hearst sought to undermine support for Social Security with allegations that workers would be required to wear "dog-tags" with their Social Security number and would be forced to fill-out questionnaires probing for personal information. In fact, neither allegation was true. However, the "dog-tag" story did have a basis in fact.

When considering ways to assign Social Security numbers, one proposal was to issue metal nameplates, not unlike military "dog-tags." Commissioner Altmeyer vetoed this idea as soon as he heard about it. This did not, however, stop the Hearst syndicate from reporting it as fact. During the early discussion of the metal nameplate idea, one company eager for this potential government business (the Addressograph Corp.) went so far as to prepare a sample I.D. tag in Commissioner Altmeyer's name. Altmeyer kept this sample "dog-tag" in his desk drawer throughout his career with SSA, and he donated it to SSA after his retirement. So the one and only Social Security "dog-tag" ever issued is now on display in the History Room at SSA headquarters in Baltimore.

5 comments:

  1. "Republicans have been making many outrageous claims about the health care reform package that is pending in Congress."

    Well I guess that balances Obama's lies about the plan saving money and his other lies about how wonderful the plan will be.

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  2. "Republicans have been making many outrageous claims about the health care reform package that is pending in Congres'

    Mr hall,i shall make my comments as relative to social security as possible. First,i say,any person who either is elderly or recieving social security benefits,who is opposed to mr obama's health care plan,should return their benefits as they are more than likely drawing more than that which was taken through taxes.

    Secondly,i have a suspicion that,this issue is really a diguise for hate against the good president.

    Socialisim?,what ignorant person who will,one day,recieve social security,deem this as socialisim?

    My answer:REPUBLICANS

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  3. The fact that it was discussed, who's to say it might not of happened had Hearst newspapers not reported it as going to happen.

    Politicians do like to float out trial balloons to gauge public opinion.

    Roosevelt was after all the only president to lock up a group of American citizens for no other reason that they looked different.

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  4. Well, guess what--in order to get benefits, you do have to fill out detailed questionnaires providing personal information. So, Mr. Hearst was right.

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  5. In Reply to Anonymous 9:31 PM

    Yes, by all means, let's give benefits to all anonymous applicants.

    ReplyDelete