jas007

Much ado about nothing. It's not as if it was any kind of big secret that Yemen would be bombed. There are only so many ways a country can be bombed. That usually involves airplanes and bombs. Maybe missiles. But, count on the Lefties to try to make it seem like the end of the world. Trump will stick with his team, I think.

One minor correction: those receiving Title II Social Security disability benefits can live overseas, provided it's in a part of the world where the treasury can make direct payments. That's most of the world, with a few exceptions.

Maybe you should go back and read your own post: Are you a mind reader? How do you know what their motives are? How do you know what their agenda is? We do know that Musk perseveres in his falsehoods about Social Security despite dispositive evidence that he's lying. Musk has history of massively lying that predates his Doge service. And why do you refuse to look up the facts of the case? Sounds like you're the one raising the issue of motives and intent and a certain person's supposed history of lying. Perhaps it's time to reframe this discussion, if it makes you happy. What we're witnessing is political theater. Bombastic claims by Trump and the Administration on the one hand, and people on the left blowing the issue all out of proportion to scare old people and score what they believe to be political points. That's politics. It happens every day and there's not much either of us can do about it. But don't pretend for a minute you have a monopoly on the "facts." I'm sure you'd like everyone to think so, though. And, at the end of the day, while the media reports the so-called "news," the issue will work its way through the system. The judicial system will be involved. Both the DOJ and the courts. And if they chose to get involved, congress an always correct any perceived problems. That's the way it works. That's the system. Maybe not perfect, but I haven't heard from you any solution for the problems that may exist. There are none you say? Everything is fine?

Since when does the media, any media, ever conclusively make findings of "fact"? They report what they consider to be "news." That's it. What's true? Maybe they're accurate, maybe they're not. In any event, what they report doesn't matter, at the end of the day. As for people''s "agenda"? Who knows? They say what they say. They do what they do. It's all part of the political process and it's not for me to decide. But make no mistake, it's happening and neither of us have much to say about it. Just hope the efforts at reform aren't sidelined by political bickering. The country is finished, otherwise, I'm afraid.

Too many bombastic claims on both sides? All that is going on here, in the end, is that they're trying to cut out waste, fraud, and abuse, where they find it. I'm sure they'll figure it out. Anyway, there's more fraud elsewhere in the government, I'm sure. Like kickbacks from the forever wars, perhaps? How many billions there?

Since when does "voluminous reporting" prove anything? Voluminous reporting as reported by the "fake news" media? In any event, how many people ever the age of 100 do you think are actually collecting benefits? There aren't many, unless they're all very well hidden. How many people over 100 do you know? The Lefties are trying to make a mountain out of a molehill with this story. Trying to scare everyone. All the Administration is trying to do is cut out waste, fraud, and abuse. If there's an easy way to do that, please, let us know. But don't think for a minute that "business as usual" will fix the problem. Business as usual is exactly why there is a problem now. People taking the easy way out. "We don't have time for this now, put it on the back burner." "Code in a fake birthday. That'll fix it." I can give you other examples of how shortcuts became the norm, but I'll skip that for another day.

I'm sure they will fix that. And I do understand much of what shows as money being paid to people well over 100 years old is likely being paid to someone younger. I understand that. But that does't mean there's no fraud to be uncovered. How would you fix things? Wait for "business as usual" to catch up to 2025?

Of course they can be changed. But Elon Musk cannot do that. Donald Trump cannot do that. D.O.G.E cannot do that. Only congress can change the qualifications for retirement benefits. If that happens, so be it. Disability benefits are a different story, as the process to determine who is entitled to those was established through Notice and Comment regulations.

Look at it this way: according to SSA records, someone who the system shows is that old is receiving the benefits. The money is going out. And so they're trying to figure out who is receiving that money. Is that so hard to understand? Or are you OK with fraudsters being paid?

Either you qualify for the benefits or you don't. Feel better now that I didn't use the word "deserve"? It's pretty simple. It's all defined by law and regulation. You reach retirement age. You apply. And, if your record reflects a work history showing you qualify for Title II benefits, you begin to receive them when they are due. If your work record does not reflect sufficient quarters of coverage, they you are not eligible for Title II benefits but may be eligible for title XVI benefits. And exactly what "opinions" did I imply were facts?

Possibly because the election is now OVEt and because a majority of Americans now support what Trump is doing?

Who proved he was wrong? All I see is a bunch of people claiming he was. Anyway, is it not possible that there's a problem there, and they're just trying to verify the order of magnitude? Is it one person, is it 100,000 people, is it millions of people? They'll figure it out. No one wants to stop benefits to people who deserve them. The SSA even has an expedited process for correcting any mistakes. That may now take individual verification of identity, either in person or otherwise, but the process is there. You can bet that people receiving money they shouldn't be receiving will have a hard time proving that they do. Most probably won't even try. They'll just yell and scream a lot that Elon is a fascist.

People over 100 receiving Social Security? When they used to pay benefits with green checks, it was easy enough to verify whether anyone cashed a treasury check. It might take a few months for a response from Treasury, but eventually, if someone cashed a Social Security check, they'd provide a copy of the front and the back to the check. The money could be traced. Now that most payments are made electronically, I'm sure it's even easier to verify where the money went, and if it was received by anyone. So, all this argument about whether millions of people are being paid benefits on the accounts of people that are likely dead should be cleared up before too long. Either someone got the money, or no one got the money.

No one is a crook just because they take advantage of available tax strategies. But it's not always so simple. Take a look, sometime, at the tax code and regulations and rulings and cases from the tax courts. It's a real mess. And yes, some people do cheat. Sometimes they get away with it, sometimes they don't.

A lot of people are younger, likely have no underlying breathing problems, and don't much notice it. On the other hand, someone with a problem would probably find somewhere with clean air, if they could afford to move. I still remember the very first time I flew into Los Angeles back in the 70s. At 33,000 feet, it was a bright sunny day with blue skies. When we got over Los Angeles, you couldn't really see the city, just a mass of brown smog. And yet people lived there. I don't remember it bothering me when I was there, although back then the air in San Diego did seem better. Today, with all the anti-pollution equipment on the cars, I think things have improved somewhat. One of the reasons I've never moved to Bangkok is the air quality.

You're eligible if you return to the USA and haven't dropped Part B. If that's the case, you have to wait for open season or whatever. I think you always have Part A. Or am I misunderstanding you?

They probably don't want to fool around with administering such a program outside the USA in hundreds of different countries, and they're probably afraid of fraud. On the other hand, it could probably be done in a limited fashion. I have health insurance as a former federal employee. It's a Blue Cross Blue Shield plan and it works pretty much anywhere in the world. When I'm out of the country and need Medical Care, any inpatient charges at a "preferred provider," like Bumrungrad hospital in Bangkok, are covered 100%, with no limit. They have preferred providers in just about every country, with the exception of places like North Korea. For outpatient care, I have to file a claim and they reimburse me later for most of the cost. So, there's a potential mechanism already in place for the management of overseas claims.

So you think Rubio is a "grown up"? If there's one clown in the world right now that has a real chance of starting WWIII and ending humanity as we know it, it's Rubio. He and whatever Neocon clowns he has at his disposal. Playing the "American Exceptionalism" game might work OK in some Third World neck of the woods, but in the Middle East, with Netanyahu seemingly calling the shots for the Neocon crowd, with multiple parties involved, including Iran, Russia, China, Turkey and Egypt? It's hard to imagine a bigger mess. A conflict that has been brewing for years with no solution is sight. "Bomb, bomb, bomb Iran." Is that the mantra? Doesn't sound too "adult" to me. They already have Trump bombing Yemen. The path to peace and prosperity? Or a big mistake?

When was the last time you were back in the USA? Up until recently, people were doing OK. That all changed, though, with runaway inflation, and now it's affecting just about everyone there, even the well to do. For the most part, anyone who looks like they're doing fine is probably living on credit of some kind.

Doesn't Russia now have hypersonic weapons that can't be stopped by anything? They've already demonstrated that they do, I believe. Maybe Trump knows something he's not disclosing? Otherwise, a "dome" for the US is a big waste of money. Actually, I worry about the Neocon in Trump's Cabinet. Rubio. He may say he's working for Trump, but he's still a Neoccn, and that means trouble. Maybe not in the current talks to end the war in Ukraine, but in the Middle East, for sure. Who is really running US foreign policy?

What they don't seem to realize is this: the election is OVER. Trump won, and he's the real President of the United States. He won the popular vote. He wont the electoral vote. And, he has a sweeping mandate. A very large majority of the people of the United States support him and his efforts to clean up the mess made by Biden. And yet the people on the left continue with their fantasy. People on the left are so brainwashed that their entire mindset seems to be permanently warped. They seem to really think that Trump is some sort of temporary interloper, a nuisance to be thwarted at every turn. No matter what the problem is, get Trump out of the way and everything will be fine. Even Harris, during the campaign, thought that all she had to do was utter the word Trump and that would win every argument. Was it the 60 Minutes interview that was altered after the fact to make her look less stupid? Someone asked her a question and she said something like: "But Trump." Anyway, Trump is a real US President. And he's President now. All the nonsense we heard about "protecting our democracy"? In reality, those people wanted to protect their continued plunder of the US Treasury. Trump is stopping them and they're mad.

Everyone knows or should know by now that the tax cuts you mention didn't pay for themselves. Reagan figured that out in short order during his first term and tried to undo the damage, but the cuts were politically popular and, to this day, politicians have continued to run up debt as if that's always the answer. Cut taxes and everything will be fine. And now we have a 36 trillion dollar mess that may well bankrupt the country. Did you seriously think I didn't realize that? No one can go back and undo the damage that's been done. The debt is there. The question going forward is how to deal with the problem. There's no guarantee that the Trump plans will work. None whatsoever. But if he's not given the chance, that's tantamount to hoping he fails. And, like I said, if that's what you want, then you are part of the problem. Apparently, Trump thinks he needs room to maneuver. He needs a period during which he can have lower interest rates and that, during this period, his tariffs will begin to bring in a lot of money and establish a trend of slowing the growth of the debt. In other words, perhaps his plans will help re-establish some confidence in the continued worth of US bonds. The percentage of US debt held as reserves by countries around the world has been dropping. That trend needs to be reversed or there's big trouble. Mathematically, there's a point where more debt simply doesn't work well any more. It becomes counterproductive.

The billionaires are involved because, like everyone else, they would like for their money to continue to be worth something. When the debt bubble pops, all bets are off. And when that happens, they'll no longer be billionaires. The USA will be finished. And so they're trying to do something about the mess that now exists. And make no mistake, it's a big mess and it's possible that nobody can undo the damage that's been done. Please tell me you're not OK with the alternative. Would you like to see America destroyed? Business as usual isn't going to work this time. If you don't know it, the banking system is on the verge of collapse. Who is buying the US Bonds? Is there any gold in Ft. Knox that the US actually owns?

He says he does care about the killing. He probably also wants to recoup some of the wasted money. Why can't it be both?

For some of us, it may not be 'OK." Burt whatever he does undoubtedly beats the alternative, which is the bankruptcy of the United States in the not too distant future. Why do you think Musk has involved himself? He surely doesn't need to make any money. Ditto for Trump. But they both see reality and they both know that something has to change, or else. What part of a $36 Trillion debt don't you understand? Do you seriously think that the current rate of debt expansion can continue unabated? Other nations are already selling off US bonds. No one is buying, except the Fed. And the only way that trend can be reversed is if a credible effort is made to slow the spending. Perhaps it will work. The US Treasury was raided. Money was stolen by the war mongers. Waste. fraud, and abuse everywhere you look. And the system needs continuous debt expansion to survive. One of the ways they do that is by war. War always cost money. A lot of money. A lot of debt is generated. Make fun of Trump all you want, but if you're looking for a culprit, go look in the mirror. You're part of the problem.