4 ms·

Social Security card is made of paper, has nothing but the number and your name, and 99% of people in the US have lost, destroyed, or never carried it to begin

Social Security card is made of paper, has nothing but the number and your name, and 99% of people in the US have lost, destroyed, or never carried it to begin with. Stupid paper card even says "Do not laminate" but mine is laminated and thus intact after 40 years. SS#'s were never meant to be personal ID numbers or national ID numbers. This was a big thing when they were introduced. Unfortunately, companies use them ALL the time. There should be a law against companies asking for your SS#. Anyway, nothing about American government or the American people makes sense. We're probably the most irrational, stupidest electorate in the world. I mean, look who we elected president!

zanny 9y ago
Except if the SS number was not meant to identify people, what was it for? It was meant to track people throughout their lives to set the amount they get paid by the program based on what they made / what SS tax they paid. It is terrible at that, it is terrible as a general id, and its just another example of doublethink in American politics - we want national welfare programs that are restricted only to valid citizens, but we don't want to actually know who the citizens are or keep track of them, or have any concrete way to identify them.
- maxsilver 9y ago
  > Except if the SS number was not meant to identify people, what was it for? It was meant to track people throughout their lives to set the amount they get paid by the program based on what they made / what SS tax they paid. Sure, but there's a huge difference between identifying people's accounts with Social Security / IRS and being a National ID card used for everything everywhere. It's was designed for the first, and intentionally forbidden for use as the latter, despite everyone using it that way anyway. Social Security cards literally said "NOT FOR IDENTIFICATION" right on them, for 30 years, to try to stop this from happening. It did anyway...
ithkuil 9y ago
I was wondering why it says "do not laminate". I found this FAQ: > Do not laminate your card. Lamination prevents detection of many security features. However, you may cover the card with plastic or other removable material if it does not damage the card https://faq.ssa.gov/link/portal/34011/34019/Article/3786/Can-I-laminate-my-Social-Security-card https://faq.ssa.gov/link/portal/34011/34019/Article/3786/Can...

zanny 9y ago

Except if the SS number was not meant to identify people, what was it for? It was meant to track people throughout their lives to set the amount they get paid by the program based on what they made / what SS tax they paid. It is terrible at that, it is terrible as a general id, and its just another example of doublethink in American politics - we want national welfare programs that are restricted only to valid citizens, but we don't want to actually know who the citizens are or keep track of them, or have any concrete way to identify them.

maxsilver 9y ago
> Except if the SS number was not meant to identify people, what was it for? It was meant to track people throughout their lives to set the amount they get paid by the program based on what they made / what SS tax they paid. Sure, but there's a huge difference between identifying people's accounts with Social Security / IRS and being a National ID card used for everything everywhere. It's was designed for the first, and intentionally forbidden for use as the latter, despite everyone using it that way anyway. Social Security cards literally said "NOT FOR IDENTIFICATION" right on them, for 30 years, to try to stop this from happening. It did anyway...

ithkuil 9y ago

I was wondering why it says "do not laminate". I found this FAQ: > Do not laminate your card. Lamination prevents detection of many security features. However, you may cover the card with plastic or other removable material if it does not damage the card https://faq.ssa.gov/link/portal/34011/34019/Article/3786/Can-I-laminate-my-Social-Security-card https://faq.ssa.gov/link/portal/34011/34019/Article/3786/Can...