Random Politics Thread

[Totenkindly]

Wait - didn't you say SSA was having to rent office space to accommodate all the people returning to the office?

Why, yes. Yes, I did.

Although if they just unilaterally fire everyone, problem solved!

 

[Totenkindly]

Here too - two federal buildings in Detroit. It's so fucked up.

That pretty much sums it up. I'm leaning towards the "leasing back to gov" angle but I can't dismiss them just firing people too if they think they can get away with it.

Just glad I bought my fertilizer and garden soil back in January.

Good idea -- that stuff is great for hiding bodies!

 

[Totenkindly]

https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/05/politics/supreme-court-usaid-foreign-aid/index.html

Mohatt/Reuters
CNN —
A divided Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected the Trump administration’s request to keep billions of dollars in foreign aid approved by Congress frozen.
However, the court did not immediately say when the money must be released, allowing the White House to continue to dispute the issue in lower courts.

 

[Red Herring]

https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/05/politics/supreme-court-usaid-foreign-aid/index.html

US shutdown of HIV/Aids funding ‘could lead to 500,000 deaths in South Africa’

I think I heard something like 230 additional babies born with HIV for every single day of frozen funding in South Africa alone. The number in the headline would be the longterm victims over 10 years.

 

[Totenkindly]

All I can think is that having to listen to that guy's speech was a fatal blow.

 

[Totenkindly]

You know, this is why we don't let amateurs write press releases.

we've had so many discussions of anti-fraud measures this week, and much of the time has been spent discussing how much to let a fraudster know exactly what you are check -- how far do you let them go (aside from actually being able to submit a claim), in terms of being able to collect data about THEM, versus how much do you tell them about the check they just failed but might not realize it.

... and so we come to today's silly example of what not to say, by the new ****wit Fearless Leader.

(Note: He's also not doing SSA any favors by just doing lip service and otherwise letting the Pres get off scott-free for asserting a bunch of debunked accusations in his speech last night. Now they all need to be debunked again. But apparently that is a losing battle and/or why would the guy who let DOGE in the back door so he could become lord of the castle want to upset his master anyway?)

Social Security Addressing Aged Records​

Actions Support President’s Priorities​

The Social Security Administration (SSA) today shared its significant progress in identifying and correcting beneficiary records of people 100 years old or older. The data reported in the media represent people who do not have a date of death associated with their record. While these people may not be receiving benefits, it is important for the agency to maintain accurate and complete records.

“I thank President Trump for highlighting these inconsistencies during his speech last night to a joint session of Congress,” said Lee Dudek, Acting Commissioner of Social Security. “We are steadfast in our commitment to root out fraud, waste, and abuse in our programs, and actively correcting the inconsistencies with missing dates of death.”

The agency follows long established program integrity initiatives that identify people who have a higher likelihood of being deceased due to their age or incomplete death reports. For example, SSA receives data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services of individuals who have not used Medicare Part A or Part B for three or more years. SSA uses the data as an indicator to select and prioritize cases of individuals age 90 or older, who are currently in pay status and living in the United States, to determine continued eligibility for Social Security benefits. The agency attempts to conduct an interview with these individuals to verify they are still alive. If the agency identifies someone is deceased, it immediately stops payment and reports any suspicions of fraud to SSA’s Office of the Inspector General.

 

[The Cat]

 

[The Cat]

Well folks. It's not enough for the robber barrons that we eat shit and die.
Now we have to drink it too.
Pass it on...​

 

[Virtual ghost]

 

[Totenkindly]

Witaf

God, I pray there can come a day when this administration is gone and forgotten.

 

[Coriolis]

Witaf

God, I pray there can come a day when this administration is gone and forgotten.

View attachment 32301

I hope to see a day when the most powerful among them are tried for treason, or whatever trying to undermine the constitution and abuse their power would be called.

 

[Red Herring]

Photographs: Mervyn Sequeira

 

[The Cat]

Photographs: Mervyn Sequeira

Should have gone with The Turkey for our national bird after all.

 

[Red Herring]

Should have gone with The Turkey for our national bird after all.

Our eagle (at least the version hanging in parliament and minted on coins) is affectionately called the "fat hen"

 

[The Cat]

 

[Totenkindly]

That senior staff meeting sounds like it was a real shitshow.
Obviously someone immediately leaked it to the press (Wa Po) as well...

Even Dudek Is Starting To Back Away From DOGE Ordered Chaos

Social Security Disability Retirement Supplemental Security Income SSI Social Security Administration POMS HALLEX SSDI Hall & Rouse Attorney

socsecnews.blogspot.com

...Even some Republicans privately acknowledge discomfort with Dudek, who was appointed as acting commissioner when the career senior executive in the role abruptly retired after refusing his push to give DOGE employees unauthorized access to private data. ...

Meeting with advocates on Tuesday, Dudek sought to cast himself as someone on their side. He described his parents as blue-collar workers with little formal education who divorced when he was young, according to the notes obtained by The Post. His mother was injured and went on disability benefits, he explained. In high school, he would eat leftovers from the school cafeteria trash, he said.

Dudek said the old ways of “setting goals, doing studies, discussion, getting information and data before making decisions” are gone. Those in charge now “will make mistakes, but I need to move them in a direction that is best for SSA,” he said, and asked the advocates for their support. ...

Andrew Biggs, a senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a center-right think tank, said shrinking Social Security’s roughly $15 billion operating budget would represent just a small fraction of the program’s $1.5 trillion in annual costs.

“If you’re talking about Social Security solvency, this stuff is a drop in the bucket,” Biggs said. “It doesn’t make any sense at all.” ...

Andrew Saul, who served as SSA commissioner in Trump’s first term, said he welcomed the cuts — but he was adamant that without corresponding modernization of the agency’s many aging technology systems, service will suffer.

“You can’t replace all of these people without the proper systems,” Saul said. “And it takes time to develop them.” ...

Saul was a total pill, but even he apparently sees the problem with what they are doing.

the actingcoss really is showing his lack of experience leading agencies and even just meetings. He seems totally focused on himself and justifying himself, relating embarrassing personal stories to win sympathy and not have people hate him. Like, no one cares. They just want to solve the problems and have a strong leader. This guy is just basically bemoaning that he has no choice (although he let DOGE in, originally) and now just has to follow orders rather than fighting for the agency and pushing back when needed. What kind of leader is that?

 

[The Cat]

 

[Virtual ghost]

Trump deepens NATO’s crisis of trust on sharing intel

 

[Virtual ghost]

As I said, freezing of the Arctic evidently isn't "normal" this year. Since the total ice area is at the record low for this time of the year.
In other words this indicates that we are entering spring/summer melting season from the lowest level ever point. What then means that the planet the whole time will take extra energy. Since ice tends to reflect energy like mirror. Therefore as the mirror is smaller less is reflected back into space. What means that the it is highly likely that this will be quite warm year globally. Since no other factor will probably fully counter this effect. What means that more energy will enter oceans and atmosphere, thus freezing of Arctic next winter is likely to also be slowed. Possibly creating new winter minimum in the process. The problem is that minimal winter maximums likely lead into record minimum at the end of the Summer melt. Since the starting point is lower than ever. In other words if ice area goes too low the whole cycle as we know it can fall part.

It is more complicated than this but this is basically the bottom line.

 

[Virtual ghost]

Trump deepens NATO’s crisis of trust on sharing intel