MetaFilter posts tagged with socialsecurity

Might as well give it up: 457-55-5462

educatedslacker — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 17:59:37 -0800

Researchers have found that it is possible to guess many -- if not all -- of the nine digits in an individual's Social Security number using publicly available information, a finding they say compromises the security of one of the most widely used consumer identifiers in the United States.

Many numbers could be guessed at by simply knowing a person's birth data, the researchers from Carnegie Mellon University said.

Manuscript (PDF)

Study FAQs

Going Dutch

goodnewsfortheinsane — Mon, 04 May 2009 07:20:34 -0800

[E]ven if you are unemployed you still receive a base amount of [vacation money] from the government, the reasoning being that if you can’t go on vacation, you’ll get depressed and despondent and you’ll never get a job.
[...]
But does the cartoon image of [the Dutch system] — encapsulated in the dread slur "socialism," which is being lobbed in American political circles like a bomb — match reality? Is there, maybe, a significant upside that is worth exploring? [...] I think it’s worth pondering how the best bits might fit.

After a year and a half of living in the Netherlands, American writer Russell Shorto compares the Dutch "welfare state" to the tax, health care and social security systems of the United States.

That's one small check for a woman, a giant bill for all Amerikind

pyramid termite — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 20:43:52 -0800

When it comes to the nation's finances, Kathleen Casey-Kirschling is Public Enemy No. 1. A national milestone - the first baby boomer files for Social Security benefits. These people want to fix it. This woman isn't sure it needs drastic fixing. Neither are these people. If we're worried about not having enough workers to pay for it, is this issue a problem or a solution?

Is the U.S. Bankrupt?

ikkyu2 — Sun, 16 Jul 2006 20:34:26 -0800

Is the U.S. Bankrupt? [332Kb PDF] Laurence Kotlikoff, writing in this month's Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Review, says "yes" - to the tune of $66 trillion! [more inside]

Save Social Security... and Roller Derby Too!

wendell — Sat, 13 Aug 2005 13:45:11 -0800

Today (if it's still Aug. 13th where you are) is the 70th birthday of the Roller Derby (being duly celebrated in Chicago and elsewhere). Tomorrow (unless it's already Aug. 14th where you are) is the 70th birthday of the Social Security Act. Compare and contrast...
(Round-numbered birthdays and anniversaries, you gotta love em. Hard to believe Burt "Robin" Ward turned 60 last month... but that "American Gothic" paining is only 75 years old.)

Social Secuity Propaganda

schambers — Fri, 25 Feb 2005 07:48:55 -0800

Beware the Coming Propaganda Juggernaut...Social Security Under Siege Salon.com's Joe Conason examines the coming wave of administration proganda aimed at social security. (Watch a commercial to read Salon for free.)

SS Trust Fund

Sixtieslibber — Thu, 10 Feb 2005 07:30:40 -0800

Yesterday President Bush said, "Some in our country think that Social Security is a trust fund -- in other words, there's a pile of money being accumulated. That's just simply not true. The money -- payroll taxes going into the Social Security are spent." Is he advocating that the US default on its Treasury bonds?

Move On's new working retirement campaign

mathowie — Tue, 01 Feb 2005 12:32:52 -0800

I wasn't sure what Move On would do after the election and inauguration, but it appears they are coming out with guns blazing over Social Security. Tomorrow they'll take out a full page ad in the NYT (pdf) and start spreading a new commercial (wmv) that is reminiscent of the "working kids" Bush in 30 seconds ad (I assume they hired the same director).

Congressman Matsui (D-CA) Dies of Rare Disease

expriest — Sun, 02 Jan 2005 12:13:47 -0800

Congressman dies of rare disease Congressman Bob Matsui, who was recently elected to a 14th term in Congress, has died due to a rare stem cell disease. Matsui, who was one of the leading opponents of President Bush's plan to eliminate Social Security, was the ranking Democrat on the Congressional subcommittee on Social Security.

AARP Opposes Private Social Security Accounts

nathanrudy — Thu, 30 Dec 2004 11:04:36 -0800

AARP Says No To Bush ... The AARP is coming out strong against private Social security investment accounts, saying they "will actually make the problem worse, not better." In January they plan to spend $50 million on an ad campaign opposing privatization. Kevin Drum of The Washington Monthly has also been awesome in pointing out that the common wisdom that Social Security is in trouble is just not true.

One man's retirement math: Social Security wins

Postroad — Mon, 27 Dec 2004 11:09:00 -0800

One man's retirement math: Social Security wins At the heart of President Bush's plan to sell Social Security private accounts is a simple notion: You're always better off investing your retirement money than letting the government do it. By doing it yourself, you can stow some money in the stock market, and over the long run will get a better return on that investment than today's Social Security system offers. The idea is broadly accepted. That's why the administration's plan to partially privatize the system sounds appealing to many. But that better return won't always happen. Just ask Stanley Logue of San Diego. For 45 years, the defense-industry analyst paid into the system until his retirement in 1994. But with all the recent hoopla over reform, Mr. Logue, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology graduate, decided to go back and check his own records. Would he have done better investing his money than the bureaucrats at the Social Security Administration?

Gimme, gimme, gimme

trharlan — Sun, 14 Nov 2004 12:09:04 -0800

Tyler Cowen on Social Security Privatization.
He links to the opinions of Arnold Kling, Brad DeLong, Jane Galt, Matthew Yglesias, and Ed Prescott.

Greenspan does a 180.

BlueTrain — Tue, 16 Mar 2004 10:09:30 -0800

Originally, Greenspan was in favor of cutting future Social Security benefits to help ease the current budget deficit. Now, he suggests: that household balance sheets are "in good shape," and perhaps stronger than ever, because the value of people's homes and stock portfolios have risen faster than their debts.

Government benefits: screwing the young

NortonDC — Wed, 10 Dec 2003 18:22:19 -0800

Screwing the young. American government benefits will give a typical man reaching age 65 today a net windfall of more than $70,000 beyond what he paid in. A luckless 25-year-old, by contrast, can count on paying $322,000 more in payroll taxes than he will ever get back in benefits.

Analysts get bloggy

djspicerack — Tue, 25 Feb 2003 13:08:17 -0800

Emerging Storm Weblog The Gartner Group has put together a formidable weblog of sorts to discuss hot topics in workplace security, crises, and other happenings. The best part is that you can comment along with the "best" of the industry. check out the comments about Social Security. We knew blogging was mainstreaming, but this is a significant use of the application outside of the general media. I don't believe registration is required to view the weblog.

realityblurred — Thu, 25 Jul 2002 18:51:56 -0800

Princeton admissions officers broke into Yale's admissions system using prospective students' birth dates and Social Security numbers. They "viewed Yale admissions decisions" of 11 students; Princeton's dean of admissions says "[i]t was really an innocent way for us to check out the security." The FBI is "assessing the information to see if there is a federal violation."

fnirt — Fri, 30 Nov 2001 11:00:24 -0800

Name Distributions in the Social Security Area doesn't sound like hours of fun, but it's wasted a lot of my time today. After visiting a list of the top 100 names for births in 2001 you can check out similar lists going back to 1880.

dogmatic — Tue, 21 Aug 2001 06:54:47 -0800

Fabricating a Crisis (NYT link, registration required yada yada yada) -- With the baby boomers getting up in years, it's becoming increasingly obvious that something must be done about The Social Security Situation. But are privatization and personal funds really the answer?

thirteen — Mon, 14 May 2001 12:30:27 -0800

Social Security Numbers and privacy. I refuse to give my number out whenever possible, but it is getting worse all the time. Thankfully I can still buy batteries and refuse to give Rat Shack my telephone number, and tell Toy R Us where to go when they ask for my zip, but this is frustrating. Wasn't this what people feared about having identification numbers in the first place?