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What are these "lurid tales of corruption"? There was the proven false claim that 40% of phone calls to SSA were fraudulent. I think it was DOGE fraud checking

What are these "lurid tales of corruption"? There was the proven false claim that 40% of phone calls to SSA were fraudulent. I think it was DOGE fraud checking systems that proved that claim false, quite soon after Musk proclaimed it. https://www.nextgov.com/digital-government/2025/05/doge-went-looking-phone-fraud-ssa-and-found-almost-none/405346/ https://www.nextgov.com/digital-government/2025/05/doge-went... Personally, it feels like the tiny nibbles that DOGE has managed to save from the massive banquet of spending that US government does is proof that there really isn't a lot of waste based on corruption. The spending is systemic and has built up over decades of various policy changes throughout many administrations of both colours. Off topic, it feels as if this administration has also very effectively disproved any theory about the presence of a deep state controlling things from the background. Interestingly, Trump appears to be trying to show that it's possible, except for the fact that he's putting ridiculously unqualified and incompetent boobs into positions of influence. It'd be laughable except for the fact that this is not a TV show, this is real life.

smitty1e 1y ago
Not laughable: the ridiculous deficit/debt. > The spending is systemic and has built up over decades of various policy changes throughout many administrations of both colours. Strong concur. Time for reform.
- watwut 1y ago
  Except that the administration is about to create biggest deficit ever. And they were unabke to find waste. It is funny ... employment by goverment was actually going down for years. America has low taxes so it could pay its debt, but it is choosing to lower them for richests and put more debt in.
  - smitty1e 1y ago
    > America has low taxes For whom, pray tell? Look at your combined burden, top to bottom, at all levels.
    - BLKNSLVR 1y ago
      The United States is generally considered a low-tax country compared to other high-income developed nations. In 2021, total taxes at all government levels in the US represented about 27% of GDP, which is significantly lower than the OECD average of around 34% and well below the 40% or more seen in several European countries like Denmark. The US ranks near the bottom among OECD countries in tax-to-GDP ratio, around 31st or 32nd out of 38 countries. https://www.perplexity.ai/search/is-the-us-a-low-taxing-country-_4DVtObtTt6HYjnU6ge0Xw https://www.perplexity.ai/search/is-the-us-a-low-taxing-coun... The problem is what "tax" means to US citizens as opposed to what taxes actually are. It's a communication / understanding issue.
      - smitty1e 1y ago
        If one earns X currency, and X/2 of the earnings are absorbed by government in various forms, then the tax burden is high, no matter the pettifoggery offered by those arguing against what is in front of one's lying eyes.
        watwut 1y ago
        Otherwise said, I will complain about any tax no matter how low or high it is, either historically or in comparison to other countries. Yes, America is low taxes country. That is one of reasons why its debt was not seen as an issue by serious investors - there was an assumption it can pay it back any time via making taxes slightly larger. Oh, and while I am doing it, I am also complaining about deficits, while making them larger by refusal to tax. And any program that helps someone not me is a waste of money, no matter how much money it actually saves via having functional country and society. I prefer things dysfunctional.
        smitty1e 1y ago
        So, in summary, our federal government amounts to a vast pile of debt, technical or financial, and the Pollyanna[1] response brings scant comfort. [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollyanna https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollyanna
smitty1e 1y ago
https://openthebooks.substack.com/p/social-security-for-200-year-olds https://openthebooks.substack.com/p/social-security-for-200-...
- AlotOfReading 1y ago
  SSA automatically stops payments to anyone older than 115, or older than 90 who hasn't used Medicare in 3 years and can't be regularly contacted to verify residence on this mortal plane. Why are unclosed database entries important if no payments are going out?
  - smitty1e 1y ago
    Trust has been destroyed. Your assertion does may be true, but is met with general skepticism.

smitty1e 1y ago

Not laughable: the ridiculous deficit/debt. > The spending is systemic and has built up over decades of various policy changes throughout many administrations of both colours. Strong concur. Time for reform.

watwut 1y ago
Except that the administration is about to create biggest deficit ever. And they were unabke to find waste. It is funny ... employment by goverment was actually going down for years. America has low taxes so it could pay its debt, but it is choosing to lower them for richests and put more debt in.
- smitty1e 1y ago
  > America has low taxes For whom, pray tell? Look at your combined burden, top to bottom, at all levels.
  - BLKNSLVR 1y ago
    The United States is generally considered a low-tax country compared to other high-income developed nations. In 2021, total taxes at all government levels in the US represented about 27% of GDP, which is significantly lower than the OECD average of around 34% and well below the 40% or more seen in several European countries like Denmark. The US ranks near the bottom among OECD countries in tax-to-GDP ratio, around 31st or 32nd out of 38 countries. https://www.perplexity.ai/search/is-the-us-a-low-taxing-country-_4DVtObtTt6HYjnU6ge0Xw https://www.perplexity.ai/search/is-the-us-a-low-taxing-coun... The problem is what "tax" means to US citizens as opposed to what taxes actually are. It's a communication / understanding issue.
    - smitty1e 1y ago
      If one earns X currency, and X/2 of the earnings are absorbed by government in various forms, then the tax burden is high, no matter the pettifoggery offered by those arguing against what is in front of one's lying eyes.
      - watwut 1y ago
        Otherwise said, I will complain about any tax no matter how low or high it is, either historically or in comparison to other countries. Yes, America is low taxes country. That is one of reasons why its debt was not seen as an issue by serious investors - there was an assumption it can pay it back any time via making taxes slightly larger. Oh, and while I am doing it, I am also complaining about deficits, while making them larger by refusal to tax. And any program that helps someone not me is a waste of money, no matter how much money it actually saves via having functional country and society. I prefer things dysfunctional.
        smitty1e 1y ago
        So, in summary, our federal government amounts to a vast pile of debt, technical or financial, and the Pollyanna[1] response brings scant comfort. [1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollyanna https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollyanna

smitty1e 1y ago

https://openthebooks.substack.com/p/social-security-for-200-year-olds https://openthebooks.substack.com/p/social-security-for-200-...

AlotOfReading 1y ago
SSA automatically stops payments to anyone older than 115, or older than 90 who hasn't used Medicare in 3 years and can't be regularly contacted to verify residence on this mortal plane. Why are unclosed database entries important if no payments are going out?
- smitty1e 1y ago
  Trust has been destroyed. Your assertion does may be true, but is met with general skepticism.