Can't Trust Social Security's Website?

     Larry Kotlikoff, who appears on PBS's Newshour program, says that you can't trust the online advice you get from Social Security. Since the online advice he's referring to is nearly incomprehensible to the average person and what Kotlikoff thinks should be added to the online advice would make it even more incomprehensible, I don't know that this is going to matter much. What it does point out is that, contrary to what most people think, Social Security is complicated.

Budget Impasse Continues

     The Speaker of the House of Representatives says he doesn't expect a government shutdown next week but also says he will pursue a plan that would make a shutdown almost inevitable. At best, nothing will be settled until Monday. In the meantime, based upon past behavior, expect the Commissioner of Social Security to be sending out a broadcast e-mail to employees either today -- Thursday -- or Friday. 

     I hope that the vast majority of Social Security employees remain at work even if there's a shutdown, but, to be honest, a straightforward interpretation of the Anti-Deficiency Act would mean that almost all Social Security employees would be furloughed. I don't know that one should read anything into it, but the last time there was a serious shutdown threat, President Obama said that he wanted Social Security to continue processing claims. I haven't seen such a statement this time around.

CR Charged With Extortion

     From the Associated Press with a Memphis dateline:

Federal prosecutors say a Social Security Administration claims representative has been charged with illegally charging beneficiaries a fee to process payment claims.

The U.S. attorney's office said Wednesday that 42-year-old Montrell Levelle Arnold has been charged with two counts of bribery and two counts of extortion.

Social Security Paying For Ads On Buses

     From the Meriden, CT Record Journal:

Ads along the side of city buses this past summer were intended to get Baby Boomers reaching retirement age to sign up for their Social Security benefits online.

Internet sign-ups are cheaper for the Social Security Administration than mailed forms. The local ads are part of a nationwide campaign to move people to electronic sign-ups and statements. ...

The contract [for the advertising] obtained through a freedom-of-information request, shows the Social Security Administration agreed to a $2,980-per-month rate for four displays.

Health Care Exchange Widget Added To Blog

     I have added a Health Exchange widget on the right side of the page. This allows readers to get information from the Department of Health and Human Services on the Health Care Exchanges set to begin operation on October 1, 2013. There is massive confusion across the country about the Health Care Exchanges. Most of this is due to the fact that it's all new. Some of it is due to deliberate lies told by those who oppose the Health Care Exchanges. On the whole, apart from the deliberate lies, I'd compare this to the implementation of the Medicare Prescription Drug benefit. The Prescription Drug benefit, although less important, was at least as complex to implement as the Health Care Exchanges. Things settled down fairly quickly on the Medicare Prescription Drug benefit. I've seen new government programs implemented over the decades. There will be the inevitable glitches but I expect things will settle down fairly quickly with the Health Care Exchanges. Despite what you've heard, it's not all that complicated and the Obama Administration has been working hard to achieve a smooth implementation.

     By the way, if you get your health care insurance through your employer or a family member's employer, just ignore the Health Care Exchanges. You don't need to sign up. In fact, you can't sign up if you have employer based health care insurance. I expect that nearly 100% of the people who are scared about "Obamacare" won't notice anything different once "Obamacare" is fully implemented.

Man Found Guilty In Field Office Bombing

     Abdullatif Ali Aldosary has been found guilty of setting off an incendiary device outside a Social Security field office in Arizona. Aldosary is also facing an unrelated charge of first degree murder.

Eric Conn Pleads Guilty

     Eric Conn, the flamboyant Kentucky Social Security attorney who has been featured in Wall Street Journal articles suggesting wrongdoing, pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of attempting to give money to another person to give to a political candidate. Apparently, this was an effort to avoid limits on campaign finance contributions.

Chained CPI As Price For Debt Ceiling Extension.?

     A Businessweek article says that Republicans want cuts in Social Security's Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA),the chained CPI proposal, as their price for extending the debt ceiling.

     I'd love to see Republican members of Congress go on record as favoring chained CPI but my opinion is that virtually none of them would vote for it. Republican members of Congress love to talk in the abstract about cutting the budget, particularly "entitlements", but are afraid of voting for any specific cuts in the budget, particularly cuts in Social Security and Medicare, the biggest entitlements. Voters are all for cuts in the budget and in "entitlements" in the abstract. They just don't favor specific cuts, especially cuts in Social Security and Medicare. That's how we end up with sequestration, which applies a simple percentage reduction to most government programs. The damage from this approach isn't as immediately obvious to the public.