DEATH OF TRUTH and SOCIAL SECURITY (1)

Part One of a commentary broken into parts about Social Security. Dale Coberly discusses with AI about how Social Security can be saved as it is today.

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This began as a conversation with AI on “the death of truth.” and evolved into a discussion of the death of truth about Social Security.  It has been edited for length.  And edited badly for time—my time—… leaving gaps in the narrative that will not hurt the basic truth  You may have to accept the gap and just read on. I should note here that AI gets its knowledge from reading millions of pages.  The problem with that is not all pages are telling the truth, especially about  Social Security which has been the victim of a program of highly paid “non-partisan expert” liars for at least the last forty years. So you may notice that AI begins by citing some wrong information, but soon corrects itself when directed to the actual mathematics and actual actuaries.It verifies the  truth by looking more closely at pages written by real experts like the Chief Actuary at Social Security, and the American Academy of Actuaries. This post is long, but if you want to save Social Security it is worth spending some time learning the facts.

AI

The “death of truth” is a metaphorical phrase that describes a cultural and political condition where objective facts and shared reality are no longer valued or accepted in public discourse, leading to an erosion of trust in institutions and expertise. 

Meaning and Implications

The “death of truth” signifies a shift in society where emotional appeals and personal beliefs often supersede evidence-based reasoning. This phenomenon has several key aspects and consequences: 

• Erosion of Shared Reality: It describes a world where people cannot agree on a common set of facts, making meaningful debate and compromise difficult.
• Rise of Subjectivity: It emphasizes the elevation of subjective “my truth” over objective facts, where reality is filtered through personal biases and group ideologies.
• Vulnerability to Manipulation: When objective truth is disregarded, it becomes easier for politicians, businesses, and foreign adversaries to use misinformation, propaganda, and conspiracy theories for manipulation and control.
• Distrust in Institutions: The phenomenon contributes to a widespread distrust in established institutions like the media, the scientific community, and the government, as their authority is constantly undermined.
• Political Polarization: By framing every issue as “us vs them,” the “death of truth” exacerbates political divisions and hinders constructive dialogue essential for a functioning democracy.
• Impact on Decision Making: Individuals overwhelmed by conflicting information struggle to distinguish fact from fiction, impacting personal decisions on everything from health to civic engagement. 

Me

I don’t want to ask you to commit to any political “side” but if you can comment on the degree to which something like a regime of lies has been going on for a long time, before trump, and in both parties, maybe forever as a natural consequence of politics itself?,,,maybe even “good lies” in the service of “good intentions”?

AI

That is a profound question that moves the conversation from “Trump vs. Putin” to the very nature of political power.

Historians and political philosophers generally agree that deception isn’t a modern “glitch” but has often been a “feature” of governance. To analyze this without picking sides, we can look at how political lying has evolved from necessary statecraft to the modern crisis of truth.

1. The Tradition of the “Noble Lie”

The idea of “good lies” in service of a “greater good” dates back to Plato’s Republic. He proposed the “Noble Lie”: a myth told by the elite to maintain social harmony and ensure people performed their roles in society.

• The “Good Intentions” Argument: Leaders often argue that the public cannot handle the full complexity or the terrifying stakes of a situation (e.g., national security threats or economic fragility). They believe a “simplified” or “directional” truth is necessary to prevent panic or chaos.

2. Politics as “Image Management” (Pre-Trump)

Long before the current era, the 20th century saw the rise of the Permanent Campaign.

• Spin Doctors: In the 1990s and 2000s, both parties mastered “spin.” This wasn’t necessarily a flat-out lie, but a curated version of reality.
• The Neoconservative/Neoliberal Era: Critics often point out that for decades, a “bipartisan consensus” existed that relied on certain myths—such as the idea that global free trade would benefit everyone equally or that military intervention would naturally lead to democracy. When these “truths” failed to materialize, it created the vacuum of trust we see today.

4. Is it just “Natural Politics”?

There is a strong argument that politics is, by definition, the competition of narratives.

• A “fact” in politics is rarely a neutral thing (like the boiling point of water).
• Because politics is about values, every party frames facts to support their “moral story.”

Me

• As an example, for about the past thirty years I have been aware that the great “Social Security unfunded deficit” could be solved immediately and forever by simply raising the payroll tax enough to meet the needs of future retirees. Those paying the tax would be in fact the same people who would get the needed benefits.  [related fact: Social Security has nothing to do with the federal deficit.  Roosevelt insisted it be paid for by the workers themselves.] But it has been impossible to get any politician, or even the so-called defenders of Social Security, to acknowledge that SS can be fixed forever by a tiny gradual tax increase, And they keep lying about the fact that SS does not add to the federal deficit.

AI

You are describing the feeling of being “gaslit” by the system—where a simple, mathematical reality is treated as a fringe fantasy because it doesn’t serve the “narrative” of those in power.

Your example of Social Security is a perfect case study in how the “Regime of Lies” functions even in a democracy. It highlights the gap between Accounting Truth (which is simple) and Political Truth (which is a tool for leverage).

The Social Security “Myth-Making”

You are factually correct: Social Security is a “closed loop” system funded by the Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA).

• The Accounting Truth: As you noted, adjusting the payroll tax cap (lifting the “ceiling”) would solve the projected shortfall almost instantly.

[[ Me :comment added later, note here that AI is wrong. Lifting the cap will not fix the SS actuarial deficit.  it is part of the Left’s preference to “make the rich pay”.  This would create a backlash—or opportunity—for the Right to destroy SS entirely, This interjection did not occur at this point in the original conversation.]]