The text discusses the history and use of the Social Security number in the United States. It begins by noting that unlike many other countries, Americans do not have a national ID card, and the idea of creating one is a political hot topic every election cycle. The results are always the same: the country does not need an ID card. However, US citizens do have a unique number, the Social Security number, which is used by many places to prove identity. This number was not intended to be used as an ID, but it has become a quasi ID / unique password to identify citizens.
The Social Security program was created during the Great Depression as a mandatory pension, where citizens would pay in during their working lives and withdraw in their retirement. The number was created to track what you put in and what you take out. Over time, the number became a unique identifier for all citizens, right from the start. This led to the number being used by various institutions like banks, schools, companies, and landlords to keep track of people without having to come up with their own systems and to be able to exchange information about people between institutions.
The Social Security number is not designed to be used as an ID number. It lacks the self-checking security built into most ID numbers, making it easier for fraudsters to guess valid numbers. The physical card itself is just a piece of cardboard, depending on when it was issued, not even laminated. The social security department used to print 'not to be used for identification' on the cards, but eventually they gave up and removed these words because, unlike passports or driver's licenses, you can assume all Americans will have this one card.
The program is not universal, not everyone has a social security account number, and not everyone pays into the program. There are exceptions for certain groups, including some railroad workers, firefighters, police, and teachers (but only in Chicago). These exceptions were groups that were able to get out of the program at its creation date. The text concludes by noting that nothing's ever straightforward when it comes to the Social Security card and its use as a quasi ID.
1. Americans are a nation of pioneers who live independently from government control.
2. Unlike many other countries, Americans do not have a national ID card.
3. The idea of creating one is a political hot topic every election cycle, with the result always being that Americans do not need an ID card.
4. However, US citizens do have a card with a unique number that many places ask for to prove their identity. This card is the Social Security card.
5. The Social Security card has become a quasi ID and unique password to identify citizens, though this was never its intended use.
6. Keeping this number secret is important for Americans as it is the key to the government and banks identifying them.
7. The Social Security program was created during the Great Depression as a kind of mandatory pension. Citizens would pay in during their working lives and withdraw in their retirement.
8. The Social Security number was created to track what you put in and what you take out.
9. Over time, the Social Security card was applied for when you actually started working.
10. The younger you are, the more likely you've had one from the moment of your birth.
11. The US Tax Department piggy-backed off of the work the Social Security department did assigning working adults a number, which made tracking taxes easier.
12. The US Tax Department encouraged parents to get a Social Security number for their children by tying it to a tax discount.
13. The Social Security number turned into a unique number that all citizens had right from the start.
14. The Social Security number was never designed to be used this way in the long, long ago.
15. The Social Security number has no self-checking security built in.
16. The Social Security number is not that hard to put together from a security leak anywhere or just by connecting a few puzzle pieces.
17. The physical card itself is no help either: just a literal piece of cardboard, depending on when it was issued, not even laminated.
18. Not everyone has a Social Security account number, and not everyone pays into the program.
19. To get out of paying, one must never have received any Social Security benefits and give up their rights to getting any in the future.
20. To get out of paying, one must also be a member of a religion opposed to the idea of social security.
21. To get out of paying, one must also create a new religion that provides for its elderly and dependent members.
22. To get out of paying, one must also have the new religion existed continuously since 1950.
23. There are exceptions to the Social Security program for certain groups, including some railroad workers, firefighters, police, teachers (but only in Chicago), and others.