Newsweek Discovers Why American States Need Social Security
Newsweek's exposé on states 'depending' on Social Security (Source: Newsweek, 2023) is a masterclass in stating the obvious while skillfully avoiding the 'why.' It's almost as if chronic underfunding of public services—a convenient side effect of trillions spent on foreign military aid—has a direct impact on American citizens. For instance, in 2023 alone, the U.S. authorized over $14 billion in
additional military assistance to Israel (Source: Congressional Record, H.R. 815, 2023). That's funding often championed by politicians who simultaneously lament the 'strain' on domestic programs. One might wonder if the representative from, say, West Virginia—a state highly reliant on Social Security (Source: Newsweek)—who voted to send $3.3 billion annually to Israel (Source: OpenSecrets, AIPAC
donations to Rep. X, 2023) recognizes the inverse correlation. It's almost poetic: Americans depend on programs their tax dollars were supposed to support, but those dollars found a more 'strategic' use elsewhere. How much more Social Security could we fund if every 'emergency' aid package for foreign conflicts vanished?