Summary

Elon Musk suggested cutting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid in a Fox News interview, citing debunked claims about fraud and linking benefits to illegal immigration.

He falsely claimed millions of deceased individuals remain in the Social Security system, a statement previously refuted by officials.

While Trump has promised not to cut entitlement programs, Musk’s remarks indicate they are under threat, potentially impacting millions of Americans.

His rhetoric echoes far-right conspiracy theories, raising concerns about his influence on policy discussions regarding social safety nets.

    • littletoolshed@lemmy.worldEnglish
      37·
      1 day ago

      Dude, we are talking about 12.4% of folks taxable earnings since the day they all joined the workforce. You think tears are the only things gonna happen if that got stolen?

      • xmunk@sh.itjust.works
        3·
        1 day ago

        At the same time we’re also talking about a demographic that’s deeply steeped in fox news disinformation so who the fuck knows what they’d think the cause or actuality of the suspension of benefits would be.

        • littletoolshed@lemmy.worldEnglish
          3·
          24 hours ago

          I’m not certain which demo you’re referring. All Americans with jobs pay into SS, and certainly not even half of them give a fuck all about some shitty cable infotainment network.

          • xmunk@sh.itjust.works
            2·
            24 hours ago

            All Americans should care - but the folks that really care are the ones dependent on it in their retirement.

            • littletoolshed@lemmy.worldEnglish
              1·
              23 hours ago

              Agreed, totally, I just don’t think there is any evidence that all of those people (many, many Americans) are Fox News fans or would even want to be in the same room when it’s on the television.

              • xmunk@sh.itjust.works
                2·
                23 hours ago

                I was specifically talking to that demographic that collects social security which are of retirement age (generally) and overwhelming consume fox news according to viewership demographics.

                • littletoolshed@lemmy.worldEnglish
                  1·
                  23 hours ago

                  Ok, thank you for explaining, I thought the context was all Americans who could claim the SS benefit, hence my confusion with your comment. Cheers!

        • littletoolshed@lemmy.worldEnglish
          3·
          23 hours ago

          Also (sorry to double comment you) wanted to mention, I don’t think any American has yet had to deal with actually not having SS benefits (I mean generally, in that they still exist, I am not talking about exceptional cases and those where the benefits were taken away legally, if that exists).

          From the Gallup article you posted:

          Social Security’s future has been a topic of debate for decades. The system is expected to be able to continue to pay full benefits to recipients through 2033 if no changes are made to the system. In 2034, the system is projected to be able to pay 80% of benefits to recipients.

          So it could happen in the next decade, but we expect it based on how it’s structured.

          If it gets taken away from Americans by some ruling class, I’m pretty sure the reactions will be swift and meaningful. And I’m not even referring to any kind of violence, just normal old social and political and legal actions.

      • nesc@lemmy.cafeEnglish
        12·
        24 hours ago

        Yes. What do you think will happen? Do you think there were no dictators or tyrannical regimes before or that they were universally liked? Most of the people that were at the helm end up fine, after decade or more of being in power. Don’t delude yourself that there will be some kind of revolution, people will just take it and move on.