Banker Brought In To Modernize Social Security

      From CNBC:

Former JPMorgan Chase executive Matt Zames will join the Trump administration as an advisor to the Social Security agency, CNBC has learned.

Zames is taking an unpaid position to help his former JPMorgan colleague Frank Bisignano, who became Social Security Commissioner last year, tackle modernization of the agency, said people with knowledge of the move. …

Zames, a former hedge fund trader who rose to prominence at JPMorgan after helping clean up the bank’s $6 billion “London Whale” mess, was its chief operating officer for about five years. …

     Will this position allow Zames to sell his JP Morgan Chase stock without paying taxes? That trick worked for Bisignano. 

Union Makes Reasonable Request That's Impossible Today

      From Morningstar:

... The American Federation of Government Employees, which represents a total of 820,000 federal government workers, recently called on Congress to restore about $3 billion in funding to the SSA that was lost to budget cuts, and to boost the workforce by as much as 40% from current levels. ...

The SSA's administrative budget has fallen from 1.2% of benefit outlays in 2017 to 0.86% currently, which represents an annual loss of $3 billion in operating revenue, the union said. In comparison, private insurance companies are funded at roughly 20% of their benefit outlays, meaning that the SSA is deeply underfunded, the union said. 

Meanwhile, SSA staffing has declined 14% during President Donald Trump's second term - from 57,384 in January 2025 down to 49,439 in June 2026 - a net loss of 7,945 employees, according to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. ...

CATO To Social Security Recipients: Drop Dead

      Jeffrey Mirin of the right wing Cato Institute looks at the possibility of the Social Security trust funds running dry and benefits being cut by more than 20% and yawns. His view is any increase in taxes is quite out of the question so let's do nothing and let nature take its course. As he says, "the ideal Social Security system would have much lower benefits, if any."

Americans Have Ideas On “Saving" Social Security

      From a press release issued by Nationwide Insurance:

Despite widespread political divisions, Americans across political party lines largely agree that Social Security needs reform. According to the Nationwide Retirement Institute's 2026 Social Security Survey, 80% of U.S. adults who receive or expect to receive Social Security say the system needs to change, including 82% of Democrats and 78% of Republicans.

The agreement extends to potential solutions. The same three proposals were ranked as the most popular approaches to strengthening Social Security among both Democrats and Republicans:

1. Increase taxes on higher earners to increase funding: 51% overall, including 56% of Democrats and 43% of Republicans
2. Increase funding through taxes paid by employers: 42% overall, including 44% of Democrats and 42% of Republicans
3. Reduce or eliminate benefits for individuals with incomes above a certain threshold: 38% overall, including 38% of Democrats and 37% of Republicans. 

Miss Pearl

      Since this is a slow news day I thought I would write about something of interest to me,  regional differences in English usage.

    I started hearing a few clients refer to me as Mr. Charles when I was in my 40s. This usage was not unfamiliar to me. I particularly remember a woman in my neighborhood growing up in Winston-Salem who was always referred to as Miss Pearl but she was not the only one who received this honorific, and, yes, it was intended as an honorific. I always understood this usage as one denoting increasing age, respect and affection. Miss Pearl qualified in every way. I was not completely happy being referred to as Mr. Charles since it indicated I was getting older but I knew I was being referred to with affection and respect so I couldn’t complain. I have no problem with it now.

     I’ve always thought of this as a Southern thing and particularly common among African Americans but I’ve never known for sure. I do know it’s less common than it used to be but that may be because I now live in Raleigh, a community that has received a huge influx of people from other parts of the country and the world. As an example, Raleigh’s largest suburb is Cary. The joke locally is that Cary is an acronym standing for Containment Area for Relocated Yankees! The last person who called me Mr. Charles was a young woman wearing a hijab.

     Anyway, I’d be interested in knowing if this is a usage you’re familiar with. Who uses it? How is it used? Is it as common as it used to be?

Hiltzik On Larson’s Defeat

      Michael Hiltzik of the Los Angeles Times, himself a big friend of Social Security, has a column out bemoaning John Larson’s defeat in the primary race to continue representing his Connecticut district in the House of Representatives. Larson has been the Chairman and now Ranking Member of the House Social Security Subcommittee. There is much to admire in Larson’s career. He has certainly been a huge friend to Social Security. However, while there are strong explanations, Larson has been quite ineffective in passing Social Security legislation.

SSA Seeks Information On AI

      The Social Security Administration is seeking information to examine “how to better leverage AI and agentic AI capabilities across SSA programs, workforce, and infrastructure.” There’s no additional detail about what they’re seeking so I have to think they’re at a very early stage. 

     This is consistent with past Republican, and sometimes Democratic, behavior — an eagerness to spend billions of dollars on contractors accompanied by a great unwillingness to spend money on personnel to make the system work.

A Poll