Stricter Social Security measures may challenge elderly and disabled beneficiaries

from Ch. 13 WHAM

Some 70 million Americans rely on Social Security benefits. As of Monday, the Social Security Administration will imposing stricter identity-proofing measures.

Millions of recipients and applicants will no longer be able to phone their information in. Instead, they will have to come to regional offices in person or complete forms online.

For those with limited transportation or computer access, that could be a problem. It's all part of an effort by the Trump administration to root out what it calls Social Security fraud, waste and abuse.

“I think it's bad because the folks that it's going to impact are the elderly and the disabled," said Lisa Arrington, an attorney who specializes in elder law.

“My elderly clients, they can't use email, they don't have a computer," Arrington continued. "And those are the people that are going to be forced to come in here (the Social Security office) physically."

John Ettlie said he’s fortunate to have a car. For other seniors, though, "It's going to be difficult."

"I suppose they could take Uber if they're aware," he said. "A lot of people are retired, don't even have a computer, so they may not even aware that you have to come in person."...

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If you’re not scared about Social Security, you should be

from Des Moines Register

What the heck is happening here?  

We believe there’s a plan at work: All the disruption at Social Security is designed to cause the program to eventually collapse.

Here’s the scenario: Continued declines in service lead to public frustration and anger. Citizens come to believe what they’re being told: the government can’t do anything well.  People lose faith in the system and become ready to accept radical change.

In other words, break it to fix it.

And the fix? Privatize the system. Let banks and financial firms run it. Turn Social Security contributions into investments in stocks, bonds, crypto or whatever. End guaranteed benefits and instead have every American responsible for their investment return, with some people succeeding and some failing.

President George W. Bush wanted to do this back in 2005. His plan failed because Americans liked Social Security and they had confidence in it. It also failed because enough members of Congress were independent-minded and wouldn’t go along...

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"Complete Chaos": Medicaid, Meals on Wheels & More on Chopping Block as Trump Freezes Trillions

Democracy NOW!

Neoliberal Austerity Under Milei in Argentina Causes Massive Protests

by Scott Creighton

UPDATE: and they recently did away with free universities. 

This is the same neoliberal Milton Friedman brick Trump and his cabinet of billionaires is going to dump on us here at home. Pay attention folks.

Their neoliberal 'libertarian' government has shut off access to medications in their previously universal plan that the aging retirees paid into their entire lives.

This will cause untold suffering and deaths. The U.S. media doesn't seem to notice. The Biden admin doesn't seem to care.

Boeing Whistleblower John Barnett Found Dead Amid Depositions Against Plane Company

'When he failed to turn up on Saturday, “inquiries were made at his hotel,” where he was found in his truck in the parking lot.' Daily Beast

from TIME

... “John was in the midst of a deposition in his whistleblower retaliation case, which finally was nearing the end,” Knowles and his co-counsel Robert Turkewitz said in a statement to TIME. “He was in very good spirits and really looking forward to putting this phase of his life behind him and moving on. We didn’t see any indication he would take his own life. No one can believe it.”...

Rodney Barnett, John Barnett’s brother, told the Associated Press that John “was suffering from PTSD and anxiety attacks as a result of being subjected to the hostile work environment at Boeing, which we believe led to his death.”...

 “This is not a 737 problem, this is a Boeing problem,” he said, adding that Boeing started removing inspection operations in 2012. “What we’re seeing with the door plug blowout is what I’ve seen with the rest of the airplane as far as jobs not being completed properly, inspection steps being removed, issues being ignored.”

Controversy surrounding the Alaska Airlines incident is still mounting, with the Wall Street Journal reporting last week that the Justice Department has opened a criminal investigation into the case. And Boeing, which was accused of not being cooperative with federal investigators, admitted to Congress on Friday that it could not find records on the exploded door panel...

As its reputation has sunk, so has Boeing’s stock price—dropping by more than 26% since the start of the year, per NASDAQ.

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Boeing congressional lobbyist tries to discredit NTSB testimony

from Seattle Times Mar 8 2024

An outside Boeing lobbyist on Capitol Hill sent an email to Republican members of Congress late Wednesday bluntly attempting to discredit the Senate testimony of National Transportation Safety Board Chair Jennifer Homendy.

After The Seattle Times asked about the email Friday, both Boeing and the lobbyist scrambled to undo the potential damage.

In a statement, Boeing said it “did not authorize this communication and regret that it was sent. We deeply respect the NTSB and will continue to cooperate fully and transparently with them.”

The lobbyist responded that the message had been sent out inadvertently and without Boeing’s knowledge.

Homendy had scathingly criticized Boeing for failing to produce documentation of the botched installation work on the door plug that blew out midair on Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 on Jan. 5.

She also testified that Boeing had not provided the names of all the employees involved, despite repeated requests, and that the NTSB had not been able to interview even the manager of the team involved...

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Ex-Boeing Quality Manager Warns of 737s Being Back in the Air ... Too Soon, Might Not Be Safe

• Oct 29 2018  Indonesia Airlines Flight JT610 Boeing 737 Max 189 dead
• Mar 9 2019 Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 Boeing 737 Max 157 dead

from TMZ Jan 31 2024

Boeing's 737 planes are being given the green light to get back up into the sky -- but a guy who used to do quality assurance for them says ... it might be too soon, not safe enough.

We talked to former Boeing quality manager John Barnett -- who came on "TMZ Live" Wednesday to discuss the fact that his old company has said their 737 Max 9 aircrafts are ready to hit the runway again ... this just a few weeks after the Alaska Airlines incident.

The speed at which this has all unfolded has alarmed many, and John here is right there with them in the concerned department ... and his reasoning lies in his personal experience.

Watch what he has to say for yourself -- John explains how things ran when he was in the field and how they've allegedly changed. Based on what he's claiming here, it's troubling, 'cause he suggests cutting corners is something the industry at large has leaned into.

John claims that inspection operators and experts have been getting slashed from assembly lines in recent years -- an awful trend that he suspects has only continued since he left...

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Grey State: The Rise is Pure Ayn Randian Neoliberal Globalist Propaganda (archive)

(archived from January 23, 2015)

by Scott Creighton

 “When people give money to Bill Gates or Sam Walton, he’s not taking it from you. You’re getting something in return. You’re getting a service, you’re getting a product. There is an organization that does take money from you and that’s the government” Grey State: Rise of Billionaire Hero Worship

“Osama bin Laden killed 4,000 people on 9/11. He has paid for that. he’s dead” Grey State: Rise of Sunstein Disinfo

Yes, the fake disinformation sites like Prison Planet and others are finally tipping their hands and showing us all what so many have known and said for years: they are nothing more than Cass Sunstein cognitive infiltration operations designed to make you love what it is that is enslaving you.

Someone just left a comment letting me know that the film Grey State: The Rise has been released in a rough cut version. You might recall the director of this “film” (read as “2 hour commercial for neoliberal globalist ideology”) turned up dead supposedly along with his wife and child in rather suspicious circumstances. That was just a few days ago. Perfect timing for the release of this infomercial for Ayn Randian “let them eat cake” idolatry.

I’ve only watched 5 minutes of the thing and it is absolutely sickening.

Javier Milei Drops Pure Neoliberal Economic Brick on Argentina

by Scott Creighton

Javier Milei and the new 'economic reforms' he passed by decree. Pure Milton Friedman neoliberal economic brick stuff being forced on the people of Argentina.  Here are the first 29 of his 300 royal dictates that promise to cripple the economy for the general population while making the nation's super-rich even richer.

New Argentine president warns of ‘worse’ times ahead

from RT

In his first speech as Argentina’s president, Javier Milei gave his supporters some sobering news, warning that the country’s economic crisis will get worse before a recovery can begin because his predecessors left behind a nation mired in hyperinflation and fiscal shambles.

The self-described “anarcho-capitalist” warned that after a century of leftist rule, it won’t be easy to turn around Argentina’s wrecked economy. Austerity measures, including drastic cuts to government spending, will need to be employed immediately, which will result in even tougher economic conditions in the short term, he said.

“Today, it’s the start of a new era for Argentina,” Milei said on Sunday in his inaugural address in Buenos Aires. “Today we close a long and sad history of decadence and decline, and we take the road of reconstruction of our country.”...

...“There is no alternative to a shock adjustment,” Milei said, adding that the economy would worsen in the short term. “There is no money.”

The new president campaigned on pledges to fight corruption, eliminate the country’s central bank and replace Argentina’s volatile currency with the US dollar. He said voters had given him a mandate for “change that has no turning back.”..

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False Idols:RFK Jr the Right of Reagan Neoliberal 'New' Hero of the Left

They needed another sheepdog to herd the left back into the fold ala Cass Sunstein. Instead of using a fake socialist this time, they went with a pretend leftie who pushes Milton Friedman neoliberal free market ideology on em. Of course, that's the same shit that got us here in the first place, but who cares! He's a Kennedy!!!

Head of IMF Warns Against Opposing Neoliberal Unipolar New World Order

And if my cat would stop peeing on me, I'll tell you all about it.

Sunday Church of Scott: The 'Like Angry Monkeys at the Zoo' Sermon

It's isn't hard to understand the real differences and major conflict between how governments like China, Russia and the U.S. see the roles of government and economy in term of looking out for the best interest of the people of their respective nations (regulated market economy vs free market economy). However, Whitney Webb and the folks at  OffGuardian seem determined to keep blurring the lines as best they can for as long as they can. Pity really. 

You Will Love the Unregulated Free Markets

by Scott Creighton (archived from Feb. 21 2010)

Everything for the unregulated markets. God bless the unregulated markets. The unregulated markets are all that is important. The unregulated markets are democracy. The unregulated markets are America. The unregulated markets are your God whether you know it or not.

National borders hinder the unregulated markets so national borders must go. Social programs hinder the unregulated markets so social programs must go. Consumer protections hinder the unregulated markets so consumer protections must go. Anti-trust laws hinder the markets so anti-trust laws must go. Civil liberties hinder the unregulated markets so civil liberties must go. Educated populations hinder the unregulated markets so the educated public must go. Labor unions hinder the unregulated markets so labor unions must go. Minimum wage laws hinder the unregulated markets so minimum wage laws must go. Nationalized central banks hinder the unregulated markets so nationalized central banks must go.

Your primitive constitution hinders the unregulated markets so your primitive constitution must go.