Having worked in govt. let me clear up some of the misconceptions put out by the left & news media on the SSA. First, any benefit administered to the public is done by a computer program. Workers do not write letters or stuff envelopes with benefits. This is all on a regular computer program. With regard to office closures, when I worked for the welfare dept, there was a budget crisis & instead of simply laying off the youngest staff, they closed offices & would then have an office satellite station. This saved on the expense of the building & operations. As it is people do have trouble reaching govt staff. This is true everywhere. Have you tried the IRS? SSA is no different. In fact they usually close down on Wednesday afternoons to get work done. The agency does have improved software that one can do it by computer--even disability. Not everyone has a computer or phone. We know this. So I image there will be satellite staff. Americans don't understand this because they are not well-versed in business practices or the field known as industrial hygiene & engineering. This science is about how to make stuff run efficiently. It tackles the layout of the physical plant, staff shifts, ergonomics, quantity of paper used, use of technology, etc. So Musk certainly as a businessman is able to point out some of these inefficiencies. The Left & the media are crying that they are cutting safety nets but that is because they prefer the bureaucracy instead. Safety nets will remain. On the longterm health of social security & medicare I see the major problem is that we do not have enough work here to employ people. We have outsourced everything. When Americans can't find work, especially good-paying work, then not enough FICA tax is coming in. We have about 330 million people in this country. Take a guess on how many retirees we have on hand & then the number of children under 18. We really need to get past 200 million people working but the jobs have to be there. If they are not there, there is less money coming into the Treasury. So we cannot continue to outsource. It results in a bigger tax burden on the working individual & at some point one has to say, it's time to exit stage left. One of the movements I've observed other than the usual labor fights is we have let our education system falter & it's almost like the left is trying to encourage people not to mentor up, but to remain permanently in a safety net. Can't be sustained. Because they have to keep developing revenue streams to support the people who are not prepared for or can't find work. It's a redistribution of income scheme & it is never sound economic science. Take from Peter to pay Paul.
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