And here we go again, folks, with the Donald Trump administration’s latest brilliant idea: gutting the Social Security Administration (because, you know, it’s not like people actually need their retirement benefits or anything). I mean, who needs a functioning SSA when you’ve got books on Social Security that you can just, you know, read and magically understand the complexities of the system? (Sarcasm alert, by the way).
But, seriously, the SSA is already understaffed, and now they’re planning to fire up to 50% of their workforce? That’s like trying to put out a fire with a squirt gun – it’s just not going to end well. And don’t even get me started on the whole “voluntary early retirement” thing, which is just a nice way of saying “we’re going to push out all the experienced employees and replace them with… well, nobody, because we’re not hiring.” You can check out the Office of Personnel Management’s website for more info on that.
And, of course, this is all part of the grand plan to “hollow out” the SSA and hand it over to private equity firms and other vultures who just can’t wait to get their hands on all that sweet, sweet Social Security cash. Because, you know, the goal of the Trump administration is clearly to help out the little guy (aka billionaires and corporations) and not, say, the actual people who need Social Security to, you know, survive. The Social Security Works group is already sounding the alarm on this, and I’m like, “Hey, can we just have a functioning government for once?”
Now, I know what you’re thinking: “But what about all the Department of Government Efficiency plans to, you know, make the SSA more efficient?” Well, let me tell you, those plans are about as believable as a book on Elasticsearch being used as a guide to world peace. I mean, come on, they’re already shuttering offices and firing people left and right – that’s not exactly what I’d call “efficient.” Check out the article by Don Moynihan for more on this.
And, as if all this wasn’t enough, we’ve also got ProPublica reporting that the first wave of actions by the Department of Government Efficiency (aka DOGE – because, you know, that’s not a made-up name or anything) at the SSA was kind of like a stealth attack, where they just quietly eliminated jobs and closed offices without anyone really noticing. But, you know, it’s not like that’s going to have any consequences or anything – like, say, reducing access to Social Security for vulnerable people, including retirees, people with disabilities, and children who’ve lost their parents. The Senator Ron Wyden’s statement on this is worth reading, by the way.
But, hey, at least we’ve got Wall Street billionaires who are just salivating at the prospect of getting their hands on all that Social Security cash. I mean, who needs a social safety net when you’ve got private equity firms and billionaires who can just, you know, take care of everything? It’s not like they have a vested interest in seeing Social Security destroyed or anything (oh wait, they totally do). You can search for books on private equity to learn more about this.
And, finally, let’s just take a moment to appreciate the sheer brilliance of the Trump administration’s plan to “protect” Social Security by, you know, gutting it and handing it over to private equity firms. I mean, it’s not like that’s a recipe for disaster or anything – it’s not like we’ve seen this movie before, where the government tries to “reform” a vital social program and ends up destroying it. But, hey, at least we’ve got the books on Social Security reform to guide us through this process, right?