American security beyond life and liberty
the security of the home, the security of livelihood, and the security of social insurance
In June 1934, President Franklin Roosevelt sent a message to Congress regarding Social Security, in which he wrote:
These three great objectives the security of the home, the security of livelihood, and the security of social insurance--are, it seems to me, a minimum of the promise that we can offer to the American people. They constitute a right which belongs to every individual and every family willing to work. They are the essential fulfillment of measures already taken toward relief, recovery and reconstruction.
This seeking for a greater measure of welfare and happiness does not indicate a change in values. It is rather a return to values lost in the course of our economic development and expansion.
At that moment, America had yet to enter World War II, still the bloodiest war in human history. But President Roosevelt having witnessed the devastation brought upon the American people during the Great Depression decided to act on values he believe preceded the Gilded Age; that economic age of course is the moment of glory the current president wishes to emulate in his self dubbed Golden Age.
It seems rather apparent now the New Deal policies enacted under President Roosevelt, including Social Security, will be made undone in some way to blaze a path for the desired economic expansion under this administration.
Many heard billionaire Elon Musk, Senior Advisor to the President, call Social Security “the biggest Ponzi scheme of all time.” Without context, some may be tempted to believe Musk’s argument that social security could undo the American economy due to an escalating national debt. Senator Bernie Sanders quickly corrected Musk on Instagram:
On Friday, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick appeared on the All-In Podcast and made the outrageous claim that only fraudsters would complain about missing a social security check. Most social security recipients however do not have a billionaire for a son-in-law. According to Gallup, for 23 years running at least 80% of social security recipients cite those checks as a significant source of revenue. And for the past two decades, nearly half of Gallup respondents worry a “great deal” about the Social Security system.
This worry is in keeping with Social Security being the greatest poverty reduction tool in America. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities:
Without Social Security, 22.0 million more adults and children would be below the poverty line..
Social Security reduces poverty dramatically among older adults in every state as well as Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico..
Without Social Security, the poverty rate for those aged 65 and over would meet or exceed 40 percent in nearly a third of states; with Social Security, it is less than 10 percent in nearly two-thirds of states.
Social Security lifts more than 1 million older adults above the poverty line in Florida, California, and Texas, and over half a million in New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Georgia, and Michigan.
Despite that measurable and extraordinary effectiveness, the Trump White House wants to find potential cuts in the Social Security system, as evidenced by Trump falsely claiming tens of millions of dead people receive checks and the Social Security Agency (SSA) plans to eliminate 6 of its 10 regional offices. And in a leaked memo dated March 13 and signed by Acting Deputy SSA Commissioner Doris Diaz, Social Security recipients would be required to provide proof of their identity on the internet or in person to receive benefit claims made over the phone. Recipients today can make claims and verify their identity without visiting a SSA office or going online. Given the advanced age of many recipients and the number of disabled recipients, phone support for both claims and identity proof is obviously critical to seniors’ economic security. To further exacerbate the burgeoning disaster, the memo goes on to “estimate it would require 75,000 to 85,000 in-person visitors per week to SSA's offices to implement the policy.” As anyone can guess, the SSA can not currently handle that influx of visitors, let alone when it closes more than half of its regional offices.
Though described as cost saving, the current administration’s Social Security plan could significantly grow poverty in America. A nation suffering significant consumer inflation elected Donald Trump to ail their economic woes. Yet assaulting Social Security under the guise of eliminating fraud and waste will inflict upon the nation’s elderly what Gandhi referred to as the worst form of violence, poverty.
Economic & Security news updates:
Dispatches from the ongoing trade war as Liberation Day approaches
On April 2nd, dubbed by Trump as Liberation Day, additional tariffs will be levied as well as reciprocal tariffs. This is also the date when tariff exemptions on goods from Canada and Mexico are currently set to expire. By April 1, the Commerce and Treasury departments are supposed to have completed studies to understand the impact of these tariffs, presumably including rising consumer inflation.
However on news Monday that Trump’s upcoming tariffs will be more targeted and not nearly as expansive as previously expected, the S&P 500 Index rose +1.45%, the Dow Jones Industrials Index was up +1.16%, and the Nasdaq 100 Index increased +1.74%.
Also, claiming Venezuela is intentionally sending criminals to the United States, President Trump in a Truth Social post has stated any country buying Venezuelan oil and/or gas will face a 25% tariff starting April 2nd as well. China, India and Spain are among buyers of Venezuelan crude oil.
Tantamount to a Veep level screwup, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz added a journalist to a Signal group text discussing Yemen war planning
Very shortly after the White House had to deny Elon Musk was being included in Chinese war planning, National Security Advisor Mike Waltz inadvertently included Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg on a Signal group text in which airstrikes on Houthi rebels in Yemen were discussed. On the Laura Ingraham show, Mike Waltz both took full responsibility and claims to have no idea how a journalist was included on the group text. President Trump meanwhile continues to stand by Waltz.
The Atlantic posted the Signal group text chat:
“1215et: F-18s LAUNCH (1st strike package)”
“1345: ‘Trigger Based’ F-18 1st Strike Window Starts (Target Terrorist is @ his Known Location so SHOULD BE ON TIME – also, Strike Drones Launch (MQ-9s)”
“1410: More F-18s LAUNCH (2nd strike package)”
“1415: Strike Drones on Target (THIS IS WHEN THE FIRST BOMBS WILL DEFINITELY DROP, pending earlier ‘Trigger Based’ targets)”
“1536 F-18 2nd Strike Starts – also, first sea-based Tomahawks launched.”
“MORE TO FOLLOW (per timeline)”
“We are currently clean on OPSEC” — that is, operational security.
Both the Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard and CIA Director John Ratcliffe testified in front of a House Intelligence Committee that no classified information was disclosed in the group chat, which only further frenzied Democrats who cited operational details of said attack on Yemen should be considered highly classified.
Greenland on edge and then allows itself to breathe a sigh of relief
In Trump’s address to Congress on March 4, he reiterated his administration’s desire to annex Greenland for national and international security, as Chinese and Russian activity in the Artic region has already sparked Canada to acquire 12 new submarines to increase its own country’s defense in the region.
In a sign of unity, all five political parties in Greenland’s parliament issued a joint statement on March 14 publicly rejecting President’s Trump effort.
We — all party chairmen — cannot accept the repeated statements on annexation and control of Greenland. We, as party chairmen, find this conduct unacceptable to friends and allies in a defense alliance.
Upon news Monday that Second Lady Usha Vance and National security adviser Mike Waltz would be visiting Greenland later this week without an official invitation, Greenland’s prime minister labeled the action as “highly aggressive.” Earlier today news broke that U.S. Vice President JD Vance and his wife will focus their visit Friday instead on visiting the U.S. Space Force outpost at Pituffik in Northwest Greenland, which brought cautious relief to both Greenland and Denmark.