• @667@lemmy.radio
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      4 months ago

      The intent is for it to completely disintegrate by the time you need to claim benefits and can’t remember your SSN.

      j/k, the completely disintegrating part is true, the last part is that there won’t be any SSN benefits by the time Gen Y and later gets around to retiring.

      • @Coasting0942@reddthat.com
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        84 months ago

        There will be benefits. Congress has at least five courses of action they can take but will just leave it till the last minute for drama and to make people vote.

      • @Tinidril@midwest.social
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        74 months ago

        The whole design of the SS system is that current workers pay benefits for current retirees. The trust fund was created later in preparation for retiring boomers.

        At worst, it goes back to the original system and benefits get reduced to match what workers are putting in. That might be as high as a worst case 20% reduction, but it’s not going to go away entirely. As others have mentioned, even that is completely avoidable.

      • @Takumidesh@lemmy.world
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        64 months ago

        This is right wing rhetoric meant to convince people that cuts to social programs are needed as a way to make social services solvent, fyi.

        Social security is funded by the current tax payers, taxes were raised so that the social security could have some extra money to buy us bonds, allowing them to cash in those bonds later when boomers retire en masse. Eventually the bonds will be gone and social security will be ‘insolvent’ but this is ok! Social security is always being paid into and social security can be paid out with general funds, or by increased tax rates, or by increasing the cap on SS taxes.

        There is not actually any indication that social security is going anywhere other than Republican fear mongering.

    • @CaptainMcMonkey@lemmy.world
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      94 months ago

      I believe the primary reason is that there are counterfeiting counter measures, and if you laminated it, it would make it hard to use verification methods that allow you to make sure it’s a real one. They want to know that it is not copied, altered, or otherwise illegally fabricated.

      Also, it should be noted that this is an identification card that can allow you to do crazy things like apply for official documents and loans. This number is extremely helpful for people wanting to steal your identity. I believe the idea is that if you lose it, it should degrade and disintegrate so you can get a new one without worrying that your identity will be stolen. Although, this is just my speculation.

      • @CaptainMcMonkey@lemmy.world
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        54 months ago

        Also, you’re not really supposed to carry it around with you, the ideas that you would put this in a safe document storage place until you need it for something specific.

    • @criitz@reddthat.com
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      44 months ago

      I googled it, they say it might obscure security features which would mean it wouldn’t be accepted. They recommend a plastic case that can be removed.

      • Jessica
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        24 months ago

        Stick it in your microwave oven on high for about 10 minutes.

            • @WarmSoda@lemm.ee
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              4 months ago

              The only thing anyone’s ever done with it is photocopy it. Lamination doesn’t affect that at all.

              There’s no “security measures” on mine. Maybe there is on more recent ones though.

              • @andrewta@lemmy.world
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                24 months ago

                I was born in the seventies. So not much in the way of security there. Maybe the newer ones have something for security and it’s just a blanket policy.

                • @WarmSoda@lemm.ee
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                  14 months ago

                  They probably just say to not do it so people don’t mess with the card at all. Blanket policy is the perfect way to put it.

    • Coil
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      14 months ago

      I’ve heard that it was in the event you lost it, it would eventually disintegrate from the weather. It always to help prevent it from being used by others if found.