Summary
Former Social Security Commissioner Martin O’Malley warns that staffing and funding cuts under Elon Musk could cause Social Security payments to halt within 30 to 90 days.
The SSA is reducing its workforce and closing offices, prompting concerns from Democrats, who accuse the Trump administration of trying to dismantle the program.
O’Malley predicts a major political backlash if payments are interrupted.
Meanwhile, leadership changes at SSA have added further instability, with no confirmed commissioner in place.
Sorry, but you should. Historically, the only people who have ever rioted were people who were directly affected by said issues. If they can successfully be convinced that Daddy Government is going to fix everything while demonizing the actual protestors on the streets, you get decades of stagnation.
I’d love for you show me any counter examples in history.
Really? The only people? Throughout history. Bold claim…
I don’t get why people make these grand statements then push off any burden of proof to those that might disagree, it’s dishonest. But just so everyone else doesn’t fall for this misinformation, here are some:
Many white abolitionists participated in violent riots against slavery, even though they themselves were not enslaved.
Example: The Cincinnati Riots of 1836 involved white and Black abolitionists clashing with pro-slavery mobs.
Many white South Africans and international activists participated in riots and violent protests against apartheid, even though they were not personally subjected to the system’s oppression.
Many young people who were not drafted or eligible for military service still participated in violent protests and riots against the war.
Example: The Days of Rage (1969) in Chicago, led by the Weather Underground, saw middle-class activists riot against U.S. militarism.
Some white activists participated in violent actions alongside Black activists fighting for civil rights, despite not being personally discriminated against.
Example: The Cambridge Riots (1967) saw white activists and Black residents clashing with authorities over segregation and economic inequality.
Many white and non-Black protesters participated in riots and violent clashes with police over racial injustice, even though they were not directly affected by systemic racism.
I can keep going if for some was reason that isn’t enough for you to understand that your statement is wrong. Either way, please stop spreading misinformation.
Hey, you’re not entirely wrong. But, you’re also conflating protests with riots. I never said people do not protest for things that do not affect them— just that they don’t intend to riot unless something directly affects them.
And, in pretty much all of the examples you’ve given for riots, those were sparked by acts of violence perpetrated by white supremacists, union busters, police, etc. which forces the people to obviously defend themselves in a reactionary state. But, this is not the same as the masses mobilizing with the intent to root out and destroy these institutions that are designed to hurt and control us.
Holding signs and singing chants in the streets doesn’t change anything but it can easily be framed as a justification for more police and military spending to “maintain order and peace”. If you consider the elites who actually control the flow of commerce, it’s a net loss for the protestors who only have their jobs to risk and possibly jail time and a fine. In fact, the State applies Deterrence Theory in this way to keep the public from rioting and it has, so far, been extremely affective in the modern era.
Oh, and those hippies who protested the Vietnam War were a small percentage of white middle class youth that went on to be corporate leaders in America, many of whom are the primary antagonists we deal with today.
There is a threshold many people aren’t willing to cross that, in my opinion, is necessary for us to move toward dismantling classism. They have us so firmly put in place that they’re now comfortably passing laws that are erasing constitutional rights, and majority of the elderly in this country voted for him, keep that in mind.
I’ll end my rebuttal simply stating that the examples you’ve mentioned involved people who consciously viewed themselves as interconnected with those they were protesting alongside of. This is something we severely lack in today’s social-political climate; a shared consciousness, which is what a grassroots movement requires.
Well first off, I listed many riots and it only takes one instance of one existing for what you said to be wrong.
Secondly, there were instances I listed of people who rioted for rights they already had, but we’re doing it for others. Full stop. This was done with many rights movements I listed. Who started them and why is irrelevant, they did the thing you said they didn’t do.
I don’t get how this is relevant to our convo… You said people don’t riot unless directly impacted. I showed instances of where they did. Why are we talking about state responses to peaceful protests?
Source for that bold claim?
… So you’ll end by saying the thing you said never happens does in fact happen, but you don’t think it will now. I mean, I agree, but that wasn’t the topic at all. It can happen, and it has happened. Saying it never has is wrong and not only ignores people throughout history who put their lives out there, it also sends a message that it’s not possible. It is. We’ve done it before and we can do it again.
If I mention the Floyd protests are we going to start splitting hairs about what makes a protest vs a riot?
Did the floydd protests/riots get comprehensive justice system reform passed?
It did make some changes in laws and policies. Change isn’t an all or nothing process.
That’s a whole new discussion though, he never said shit about actually changing anything.
Okay, fine, he implied it.