Results: Social Security in the USA
Published on 02/27/2025
Elon Musk has repeatedly said that his DOGE team has discovered massive amounts of government fraud, part of it involving the Social Security system.
Admin Sources used: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/musk-misreads-social-security-data-millions-dead-people/story?id=118960821, https://www.cbsnews.com/news/social-security-doge-100-150-year-olds-cobol-elon-musk/, https://www.factcheck.org/2025/02/trump-musk-exaggerate-scale-of-improper-social-security-payments-to-the-dead/?utm_source=chatgpt.com
QUESTIONS
GO to COMMENTS
Comments
1.
1.
Musk alleges that 150-year-olds are claiming Social Security benefits. Have you heard this claim before? Yes
36%
766 votes
No
37%
786 votes
Undecided
5%
106 votes
Not Applicable
21%
442 votes
2.
2.
The software system used by the Social Security Administration-COBOL, a 60-year-old programming language-automatically defaults missing birthdates to more than 150 years ago. They decided not to spend the more than $9 million required to upgrade the system. COBOL is used by many other US government agencies as well. Have you ever heard of or used a COBOL system? Yes
26%
536 votes
No
45%
954 votes
Undecided
7%
147 votes
Not Applicable
22%
463 votes
3.
3.
Musk's team of very young engineers were unfamiliar with COBOL, as it's rarely used these days outside of the government. When this mistake was brought to Musk's attention, he refused to correct his error publicly. Trump then repeated the false accusation. Why do you think they did this? I have no idea.
26%
541 votes
They want to use it as an excuse to cut Social Security benefits.
38%
802 votes
Other (please specify)
2%
46 votes
Not Applicable
34%
711 votes
| Other Answers | Percentage | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| 0.72% | 10 | |
| they are both morons | 0.07% | 1 |
| Why are you guys trying to find fault in everything and why on earth would head of the department quit | 0.07% | 1 |
| They never admit they made ANY mistakes. | 0.07% | 1 |
| not true/fake news | 0.07% | 1 |
| because there IS fraud where they are skimming the money | 0.07% | 1 |
| they are narcistic idiots who cannot and will not admit their mistakes | 0.07% | 1 |
| It's all about money, and what he will get out of it. | 0.07% | 1 |
| they are greedy idiots | 0.07% | 1 |
| Because they're just plain stupid and have no business being part of the government. | 0.07% | 1 |
| Because they are lying ******** and corrupt as hell | 0.07% | 1 |
| They never admit mistakes, ever. And they use everything possible to get their way. | 0.07% | 1 |
| They do not want to admit to stupidity. | 0.07% | 1 |
| There are more people receiving Social Security than can possibly be alive. They need to keep digging. | 0.07% | 1 |
| Narrative and false accusations. We have heard this for so many years | 0.07% | 1 |
| Sounds good | 0.07% | 1 |
| They are all idiots | 0.07% | 1 |
| False accusations, right back at you. Colorado just found millions going to dead social security recipients. You are full of falsehood! | 0.07% | 1 |
| Neither of them is capable of admitting they are wrong. My grandfather was as wise as he was stubborn and was often heard to say that he thought he was wrong once but it turned out he was mistaken. | 0.07% | 1 |
| If it takes lying to convince those who know no better that something is being accomplished, then both will lie. | 0.07% | 1 |
| To save face. | 0.07% | 1 |
| They are too proud and egotistical to admit they made a mistake. | 0.07% | 1 |
| They are fools who don't want to admit the mistake | 0.07% | 1 |
| They are dumb asses,Elon should go back to Africa | 0.07% | 1 |
| Their purpose is to trick the American public into thinking that they know what they're doing. | 0.07% | 1 |
| They can't admit they're wrong. It's a sign of weakness to them. | 0.07% | 1 |
| Because they did find fraud. | 0.07% | 1 |
| The system NEEDS to be updated. Stop paying dead people. | 0.07% | 1 |
| They never admit mistakes or hold themselves accountable | 0.07% | 1 |
| I don't think my language would be tolerated here | 0.07% | 1 |
| Unfortunately, with you obvious bias, I cannot tell if anything you say is true. | 0.07% | 1 |
| Because they are cleaning up the Biden mess. | 0.07% | 1 |
| Because they're are not as smart as they think they are. | 0.07% | 1 |
| To rid it of money laundering | 0.07% | 1 |
| No | 0.07% | 1 |
| They are liars | 0.07% | 1 |
| wait and see about the payments | 0.07% | 1 |
4.
4.
Musk could have simply looked up the Social Security Administration's own website, which explains that since September 2015 the agency has automatically stopped benefit payments when anyone reaches the age of 115. Instead, he doubled down on the falsehood, posting a screenshot of what he claims were figures from "the Social Security database" to his social media platform X, writing that "the numbers of people in each age bucket with the death field set to FALSE!" Do you trust Elon Musk? Yes
15%
308 votes
No
49%
1029 votes
Undecided
11%
229 votes
Not Applicable
25%
534 votes
5.
5.
Would cuts to Social Security negatively affect you or others you care about? Yes
41%
871 votes
No
10%
202 votes
Undecided
8%
177 votes
I'm Canadian and/or I don't know anyone who receives Social Security payments
17%
347 votes
Not Applicable
24%
503 votes
COMMENTS