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Blackbird
Built for Speed
Premium Member
join:2005-01-14
Fort Wayne, IN

12 recommendations

Blackbird to Frodo

Premium Member

to Frodo

Re: Why the U.S. Can't Kick Its Addiction to Social Security Numbers

said by Frodo:

»www.usnews.com/news/poli ··· on-cards

quote:
Officials said Tuesday the government is on track to meet a 2019 deadline for replacing Social Security numbers on Medicare cards with randomly generated digits and letters to protect seniors against identity theft.

Which, of course, means closing a barn door after huge herds of horses have already left the barn... while still leaving numerous other barn doors wide open.

Back when the Congressional SS debates were raging in the 1930's, because of all the citizen tracking/identification concerns, the solemn promise was made that a SSN would only ever be used to identify a person's "SS retirement account" number, just (and only) like a bank account number and never for anything else. From the SS program's onset until today, that promise has been broken so many times and in so many ways as to stand as a classic textbook example of government's utter inability to keep promises made to citizens at one point in time against the countless political pressures that continually appear at later points in time.
Frodo
join:2006-05-05

5 recommendations

Frodo

Member

The real answer is to put more responsibility and onus on the extender of credit.
If they're always liable for the costs of cleaning up someone's credit record, they'll be more careful.

I noticed when I went to my last doctor's appointment, they took a picture. Later on, if someone shows photo ID, (which can be forged), they'll compare it to the picture on file.

I think a large problem lies with easy credit, because too much of the cost of fixing the problem is shouldered by the person whose identity has been stolen.
dave
Premium Member
join:2000-05-04
not in ohio

3 recommendations

dave

Premium Member

A "credit reporting bureau" appears to be an efficient method for collecting data that will enable identity theft.

StuartMW
Premium Member
join:2000-08-06

4 recommendations

StuartMW to Blackbird

Premium Member

to Blackbird
said by Blackbird:

Back when the Congressional SS debates were raging in the 1930's, because of all the citizen tracking/identification concerns, the solemn promise was made that a SSN would only ever be used to identify a person's "SS retirement account" number...

Politicians lied? I'm shocked I tell you, shocked!

DarkLogix
Texan and Proud
Premium Member
join:2008-10-23
Baytown, TX

5 recommendations

DarkLogix

Premium Member

said by StuartMW:

said by Blackbird:

Back when the Congressional SS debates were raging in the 1930's, because of all the citizen tracking/identification concerns, the solemn promise was made that a SSN would only ever be used to identify a person's "SS retirement account" number...

Politicians lied? I'm shocked I tell you, shocked!

I think that tazer's battery died ages ago.

StuartMW
Premium Member
join:2000-08-06

2 recommendations

StuartMW

Premium Member

said by DarkLogix:

I think that tazer's battery died ages ago.

Yeah, a very dead horse but some need reminding...

camper
just visiting this planet
Premium Member
join:2010-03-21
Bethel, CT

4 recommendations

camper

Premium Member

 
Not dead yet [said in my poor Monty Python voice...]

StuartMW
Premium Member
join:2000-08-06

4 recommendations

StuartMW

Premium Member

. o O ("I'm not dead yet!")