Charles Martin and Debra Shifrin, attorneys who represent Social Security disability claimants, have an op ed piece in The Hill (as in Capitol Hill), a D.C. newspaper for those working on Capitol Hill. The op ed piece is directed at the lies and misrepresentations being spread about the Social Security disability programs.
Churchhill said that "A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a chance to get its pants on." I'm afraid that we're facing this reality when it comes to the Social Security disability programs.
I wish I had a better idea of what group or groups are behind this campaign of lies and distortions and exactly what their motivations are. This isn't organic. It's not happening spontaneously. It's organized.
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It's orgnanized by the same people who keep upper class taxes low and keep subsidies for mega corporations high. Basically, the rich people who run things.
In order to keep these policies going, programs like Social Security can't be sustained. These propaganda efforts are designed to mentally prepare us for the inevitable. Social Security will be gutted in a Grand Bargain sometime into Obama's second term.
And the worst part is, because of all these lies that never go away, people will cheer as their own money is stolen from them.
Reminds me of the current deal in Chicago. Cops busted a million dollar car theft ring of only fancy cars (BMWs, Bentleys, etc.). Thefts which the insurance claim was certainly already settled. Yet, neighborhoods are having more assaults, muggings, shootings and cops are never around to patrol....because they are busy finding rich people's lost cars.
You have to wonder if it is a conspiracy against the program, or is it better organization and exploitation of an existing media outlets and message control. Conservatives have, over the last 50 years, built a connected group of think tanks and conservative media outlets and. Paul Ryan is a great example. He came up through this system. It is public knowledge that he received SSA Aux death benefits from the death of his father that due to his stable economic family background that money was saved and used during his college education. He also only held one short term private job; he is the career politician he so eloquently speaks against. He is also a strong opponent of SSA in all forms.
Liberals have not been able to control the message. Instead the message becomes clouded with calls to add medical marijuana, 4 day work weeks, and additional outlandish programs and becomes fodder for late night shows opening monologues.
Message control is as important as the message itself. Every person applying for disability is not ending up homeless, some are making more than they did working, not all but some, when combining VA retirement, disability and SSDI. The message has to be that the program does good, that it is not perfect, but can be saved and made better. Those that live and work around the program have as many stories of people getting what they truly deserved to outnumber the people abusing the program. One makes a better splash than the other.
I do not believe it is a conspiracy, it is simply being outworked and out planned by well meaning people who believe in what they are doing and put the effort behind it to get the message out.
Great article - thank you!
The greatest lie is that the Social Security Disability trust fund is funded.
Once you admit that, then we can look at the truths, and how to reform the system to make it viable.
Those numbers are accounting entries, not cash.
If they were cash, then why does the debt held by the public go up dollar for dollar, for each dollar withdrawn?
When was the last time accounting entries paid for groceries?
Don Levit
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