[Hidden-tech] Rewriting SSA code in months - possible?
donlesser103 at gmail.com
donlesser103 at gmail.com
Fri Apr 4 13:16:30 UTC 2025
Excellent. One more DOGE dodge.
Don Lesser
413 230-0900
Donlesser103 at gmail.com
-----Original Message-----
From: Hidden-discuss <hidden-discuss-bounces at lists.hidden-tech.net> On Behalf Of Jan Werner via Hidden-discuss
Sent: Thursday, April 3, 2025 5:04 PM
To: Rob Laporte <rob at 2disc.com>; Michael Muller <tech at montaguewebworks.com>
Cc: Hidden-discuss <Hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net>
Subject: Re: [Hidden-tech] Rewriting SSA code in months - possible?
Good point, although probably not what you had in mind.
Left out of that 1 minute video is the context, which is that Musk was discussing his claim that 40% of all phone calls to SSA are fraudulent.
The NY Times had an excellent article Tuesday on where he came up with that figure, which was a report that 40% of direct deposit fraud involved phone calls. Total direct deposit fraud amounts to $100 million a year, so we're talking about $40 million in fraud from phone calls.
That's not nothing, but given that SS pays $1.5 trillion a year in benefits, we're talking about less than .003% of benefits lost to phone fraud. That's not even a rounding error, as Musk surely knows.
Thanks, but I'll get my news from reliable sources, not YouTube clips.
Jan Werner
______________
On 4/1/2025 11:24 PM, Rob Laporte via Hidden-discuss wrote:
>
> Regarding SS payments, it's /really/ worth knowing what Musk said in
> this one minute video: https://youtube.com/clip/
> Ugkxit7SyqsJxYkfVJGYIKNYGEe8AtT5-wJX?si=4VVWpzQnubES1r1R <https://
> youtube.com/clip/Ugkxit7SyqsJxYkfVJGYIKNYGEe8AtT5-wJX?
> si=4VVWpzQnubES1r1R>. Will that happen? I don't know, but I sure as
> heck expect a half-decent news source to report that statement to me,
> because then I can follow-up on it later.
>
> *Here's the punch line:* harmony among citizens depends on news
> channels that are balanced and not mere editorial fed to fan our
> feelings and clock click revenue. I'm still seeking one such news
> source, if anyone has suggestions. I've heard an India news source is
> good, but I forget which. Though using a "truth machine" takes much
> less time than verifying each news story I read, it still takes a lot
> more time than good ol' news that obeys no party, cites the relevant
> sources, and does not omit crucial parts of the story.
>
>
> Best Regards,
>
> *Rob Laporte*
> CEO | R&D Manager
> *DISC - Making Websites Make Money*
> Rob at 2disc.com <mailto:Rob at 2disc.com>, 413-584-6500 www.2disc.com
> <https://www.2disc.com>
>
> *NOTE:* Emails can be blocked by spam filters throughout the web. If
> you don’t get a reply within an expected span of time, please call.
>
>
>
> ---- On Tue, 01 Apr 2025 12:55:20 -0400 *Michael Muller via Hidden-
> discuss <hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net>* wrote ---
>
> Considering the recent backtracking and re-hiring of some of the
> more important fired personnel at critical federal agencies, the
> slap-dash eager beavers running around DOGE without a leash feel
> like drunk moshers in china shop. Any conversion by these people
> will be a fiasco, because they intrinsically don't care.
>
> Log in to the SSA portal and download your payments and benefits
> report before it's offline.
>
> Mik
>
> Mik Muller, president
> Montague WebWorks
> 20 River Street, Greenfield, MA
> 413-320-5336
> http://MontagueWebWorks.com <http://MontagueWebWorks.com>
> Powered by ROCKETFUSION
>
> On 3/29/2025 1:12 AM, AI Zuckerman via Hidden-discuss wrote:
>
> https://developers.slashdot.org/story/25/03/28/2148205/doge-to-
> rewrite-ssa- <https://developers.slashdot.org/
> story/25/03/28/2148205/doge-to-rewrite-ssa-codebase-in-months?
> utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed>
> codebase-in-months?utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed
> <https://developers.slashdot.org/story/25/03/28/2148205/doge-to-
> rewrite-ssa-codebase-in-months?
> utm_source=rss1.0mainlinkanon&utm_medium=feed>
>
> Hi Hidden Techies,
> Here's one for coders on the list. A friend sent me a link to
> this article in Wired. Apparently, DOGE techies are claiming
> they can rewrite the SSA code in months. Wire reports that the
> SSA codebase has over 60 million lines of COBOL <https://
> oig.ssa.gov/congressional-testimony/2016-07-14-newsroom-
> congressional-testimony-july14-ssa-modernization/> and handles
> record keeping for all American workers and payments for all
> Social Security recipients.
> The aim is to migrate all SSA systems off COBOL ... and onto a
> more modern replacement like Java within a scheduled tight
> timeframe of a few months," notes Wired.
> Some questions:
> Is it possible to handle this mammoth job in a month?
> What happens if the techies in DOGE make mistakes?
> Would SSA have a backup system of the COBOL code?
>
> Let all of us oldsters who depend on our SSA benefits keep them
> safe. If any people can do this, I know either you can or know
> someone who can. Please post your thoughts to the list.
> If you want to chat with me about this situation then call me at
> 413-362-4392.
> thanks!
>
> Amy Zuckerman
> HIDDEN TECH mother emeritus
>
> I
>
>
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