Mark Jenkins
I received an email from the Social Security Administration on the eve of Independence Day with a subject line that read “Social Security Applauds Passage of Legislation Providing Historic Tax Relief for Seniors.” Initially, I was confused. Why would the Social Security Administration be sending out an email that was so blatantly partisan? It spoke of “President Trump’s promise to protect Social Security.”
That alone was enough to upset me. But reading further it became clear that not only was this little more than a thinly veiled piece of propaganda, it wasn’t even accurate. The legislation that was passed last week did absolutely nothing to eliminate taxes on Social Security. At most, it temporarily increases the deduction that people over 65 can claim on their income taxes, regardless of whether they even draw Social Security.
The propaganda email didn’t stop there, however. The final paragraph of the email read: “Social Security remains committed to providing timely, accurate information to the public and will continue working closely with federal partners to ensure beneficiaries understand how this legislation may affect them.” Everything above that paragraph gave the lie to that statement.
The biggest insult, unfortunately, was yet to come: At the very bottom there was a small print disclaimer: “This email was sent to XXXX@gmail.com by the Social Security Administration, and was produced and disseminated at U.S. taxpayer expense.” Not only was I being lied to by my government about tax savings, but my tax dollars were also being used to underwrite the lies.
I could, of course, ignore this like no doubt countless of thousands have done. But less than a week later, I received an email from Medicare.gov with the subject line: “Choosing a Hospital? We can help.” This email offered to help me compare the quality of the hospitals in my area and help me choose the hospital that is best for me.
My question – one that I desperately want answered is this: If Social Security has been so co-opted that it now sends out false propaganda on behalf of the current administration, why would I trust Medicare to make recommendations on what hospital would best serve my needs?
That, of course, is the problem. Once one department of government has been taken over by toadies and lackies who do the president’s bidding in disseminating blatant and obvious falsehoods, how can we trust the other departments?
The answer is obvious: we can’t.
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Mark Jenkins retired in 2015 after 30 years of parish ministry in the Episcopal Church and 11 years teaching at Wayne State University. Since then he has spent his days reading, writing, cooking, and publishing the occasional essay.
That alone was enough to upset me. But reading further it became clear that not only was this little more than a thinly veiled piece of propaganda, it wasn’t even accurate. The legislation that was passed last week did absolutely nothing to eliminate taxes on Social Security. At most, it temporarily increases the deduction that people over 65 can claim on their income taxes, regardless of whether they even draw Social Security.
The propaganda email didn’t stop there, however. The final paragraph of the email read: “Social Security remains committed to providing timely, accurate information to the public and will continue working closely with federal partners to ensure beneficiaries understand how this legislation may affect them.” Everything above that paragraph gave the lie to that statement.
The biggest insult, unfortunately, was yet to come: At the very bottom there was a small print disclaimer: “This email was sent to XXXX@gmail.com by the Social Security Administration, and was produced and disseminated at U.S. taxpayer expense.” Not only was I being lied to by my government about tax savings, but my tax dollars were also being used to underwrite the lies.
I could, of course, ignore this like no doubt countless of thousands have done. But less than a week later, I received an email from Medicare.gov with the subject line: “Choosing a Hospital? We can help.” This email offered to help me compare the quality of the hospitals in my area and help me choose the hospital that is best for me.
My question – one that I desperately want answered is this: If Social Security has been so co-opted that it now sends out false propaganda on behalf of the current administration, why would I trust Medicare to make recommendations on what hospital would best serve my needs?
That, of course, is the problem. Once one department of government has been taken over by toadies and lackies who do the president’s bidding in disseminating blatant and obvious falsehoods, how can we trust the other departments?
The answer is obvious: we can’t.
—————
Mark Jenkins retired in 2015 after 30 years of parish ministry in the Episcopal Church and 11 years teaching at Wayne State University. Since then he has spent his days reading, writing, cooking, and publishing the occasional essay.
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