He’s been right about a lot, wouldn’t be surprised if he’s right about this.

President Trump.Trump said he’s going to be weeding out illegal immigrants from the Social Security system.

Since then, X has been alive with people telling us very seriously that Illegals can’t get Social Security benefits. Then acting like Trump is dumb or crazy or whatever.

Hmmm. Really? So if one of these folks is using a stolen SSN to work, you think that somehow they’re not going to use that SSN to do other things? Apply for credit cards perhaps? Mortgage loans? Bank Accounts?

Really? Nobody is that naive.

The other half had his identity stolen on a couple of occasions. Once, it was just a couple of debit card numbers, but the other time it was his whole credit history. He wasn’t aware there was a problem until he tried to get a loan for an instrument, then he found out that there was someone else running around using his social security number.

How ever did this bad person get the other half’s SSN? Oh that was due either to a medical insurance company breach, or a doctor’s office closing. We later found out that all the medical records had simply been dumped in the dumpster out behind the office.

It didn’t matter. It cost us a lot of time and money to get everything sorted out. 

If someone has your SSN, name, and date of birth, they could possibly start collecting on Social Security too.

That’s called stealing you know. Not that any of the liberals care about little things like stealing, or crime in general.

Unless it disturbs them.

When drugs come to the rentals in their neighborhoods, or an HOA socialite is mugged for her earrings in a common area.

Then liberals who previously wanted to defund the fascist police, while being kind to the poor immigrants seeking a better life, will hire a mercenary goon squad to patrol and harass everyone walking through a neighborhood.

We know that a lot of those liberals manage to look the other way, & pay under the table dirt cheap wages to illegals too. Liberals don’t seem to understand that paying someone 10 cents an hour is essentially slavery. Say that out loud to a liberal and they’ll lose their shit.

I’ve long been annoyed that everything is tied to a SSN. Credit applications, Tax filing, Mortgages, Car Loans, Medical records, Insurance, and God knows what else. 

It wasn’t supposed to be that way.

Back at the dawn of time when I got my SS card, the accompanying paperwork said specifically that this number wasn’t to be used as ID.

Yet that’s exactly what it’s been used for. Lots of people forget that SSN is an account number, to your forced contributions to a retirement savings account, that doesn’t pay a particularly good interest rate.

At this point we might as well use the number as our phone number, drivers license, and car plate number. Everyone knows our account numbers.

I’d bet we’ve all received at least 10 notices of security breaches where our name, address, SSN, and phone number has been dumped out on the internet for sale.

I’ve been informed that my personal data was leaked by the Office of Personnel Management of the United States government. You know what they said? Too bad, so sad, perhaps you should invest in a credit counseling service.

At least corporations provided credit monitoring services for a few years!

Given all of this.

Is it that far a stretch to entertain that some number of illegal immigrants might be getting social security payments they’re not entitled to?

Illegal Immigrants, as Tom Homan said, are all criminals. He’s right, and I fell out of my chair when he said it directly to someone questioning him about deportations.

Until I heard him say it, I thought I was some kind of idiot that just didn’t understand the issue.

The moment a person crosses our border without permission, or overstays their Visa, they are, by definition, a criminal because they committed a criminal act. If they’re willing to start out committing a crime, what’s to stop them from stealing someone’s identity?

Liberals would justify even that, as okay (as long as it wasn’t their identity,) because the poor illegal is just trying to work and feed their family and they needed a SSN to work. Or retire.

Here’s something few people ever find out.

If you claim unemployment benefits, or assistance for medical costs, or disability payments, all of which are tired to your SSN. The state sends you a 1099 form. 

YES! Boys and Girls, you have to pay Federal taxes on that “Income” If you’re in a state with income tax, you get to pay them too.

So some illegal running around with your SSN can do a whole lot of damage, before they even begin to fuck you out of your tiny assed social security check.

All of this is to say, it’s very possible that some 87 year old grannie, or someone who’s contacting the Social Security office on Monday morning ready to retire, may find out they’ve got nothing because someone else got there before they did.

Trump saying that he’s ordering it to be looked into is a good thing. Even if they find nothing, at least the American People can have faith in the Social Security Administration. 

If an audit does find fraud, then booting the fraudsters out of the system means people who deserve the funds will likely get them, and perhaps Social Security will last a bit longer.

I question the Democrats screaming about Doge looking into Social Security.

We know over the years, both the Democrats and Republicans have raided SS funds. We the People assume that the money has been paid back. What if it hasn’t? Worse yet, would be finding that money is still being siphoned off for stupid projects like those at USAID.

I’ll tell you what. If all the retirees eating tuna, cutting their medications in half, and paying taxes on their SS income were to find out they’d been spending a billion a year for something like “Condoms for Convents”, or half a billion on “Feed a Jihadi for Jesus”…

The old folks (myself included) would tear down the Capitol and smash every stone to dust with their walkers & canes.

I envision exchanges like this between the Capitol police and the old folks;

“Yeah sonny, that’s a pretty badge, so what? I’m on my last legs here, I’ll be dead in 6 months from cancer. I can’t feel anything on my left side… This here is a kamikaze run for me! Tear gas? That’s all ya got? I’ve been smoking Lucky’s for 65 years! I could huff that canister & chase it with straight bourbon! So bring it, ya pussy!”

(Thanks to Grok for generating the image.)

Sleepless on the mountain

I’d fallen asleep on the couch for a few minutes. 

It was near bedtime so when I woke up I just relocated to bed. I started to drift off and then something happened. I’m not sure what, but I was wide awake. There were the usual creaks and sounds of the house, but for some reason they seemed louder.

Then I was thinking of all the stuff I need to do, which led to what do I want to do, which led to how do I do it, and the links in the chain went on & on from there.

Eventually, I decided to get up. After all, there’s no need to toss & turn in bed keeping Jesse awake.

His response to my sleeplessness was to sigh in an annoyed way. Once I left the bed, he curled up right in the middle of the bed. I guess I’m not going to be allowed to get back in the bed until I’ve settled down.

Something has me unsettled. I don’t know what it is. There’s something familiar about it, but it’s been too long for me to be able to put my finger on it.

I’m debating pouring myself a small drink to see if that will allow me to relax enough to go to sleep.

I haven’t had a problem sleeping like this in a very long time. I’m really wound up and I have no clue why.

Maybe I’ll try writing some. I’m wondering if I’ve got an idea percolating that needs to be written then I’ll be able to sleep.

It’s possible it’s the moonlight although it’s not a full moon, it’s a bright and clear night.

Happy February, It’s a beautiful day

It’s in the 50s here on the mountain. The snow we had last week is melting fast, but I’m not putting my snow shovels or snow thrower away just yet.

February and sometimes March have been known to throw us curve balls and drop feet of snow on us at the darnedest times.

There are a few things that I’ve noticed this year. The dog never developed his super fluffy coat. The leaves on the maple and apple tree hung on for a really long time before dropping, and the cottonwoods and maple tree are already budding.

It’s thus far, been a mild Winter here. But there’s still a month & 1/2 to go.

I often think the trees and the animals are better predictors of the weather than we are with all our technology.

The various tax forms should be available now, and that means I’m going to be working for the government sorting all this bullshit out. I’m still working through all the tax nightmare left behind by the passing of my other half, and the COVID era. Apparently the accountant really fucked up the filings from 2019 on… So yipeee! I get to spend a ton of time unfucking the mess.

I wish Trump would just do away with the IRS already! There are so many things I could say about them. Most of it boils down to just the plain weird stupid shit about our tax code.

Chief among some of this is why is the tax code so damn complex? Why do we have an entire industry built around dealing with taxes that the fucking government takes right off the top, they know how much they’ve taken, then they jump us all through hoops where we file in terror of making a mistake then they always find mistakes that cost us more.

Why the fuck don’t they just send us a bill? Better yet, go to a flat tax, Even better… Stop taxing us altogether!

I’m annoyed about it.

I hate that over the past four years so much of our tax money was literally wasted on endeavors that did absolutely nothing for the American people.

I’ve also come to reject the premise that taxes allow us to have a safe and productive nation. 

That is absolute bullshit.

With our taxes going up over the past 16 years, I submit that we do not have a safer more productive nation. In fact I would say it’s exactly the opposite.

Maybe I’ll do some real research and then podcast about it.

In the mean time, I’m going to breathe, and see what I can do about enjoying this beautiful day.