Remind ya of Texas's promise to voters that all 'proceeds for a State Lottery' would be used SOLELY for the funding of Education ? Those 'legislators' now state that such was never promised - despite MILLIONS/??Billions?? in ads that were run at the time pushing voters to approve it ?
When Social Security was first instituted, it was opposed by MANY as being a government means of 'registering' and 'identifying' all US citizens. Thus, it was ONLY introduced with the explicit legal restriction that it COULD NOT EVER be used as a means of identification. That was the LAW. When was that legal restriction repealed ?
When Social Security was first instituted, it was opposed by MANY as being a government means of 'registering' and 'identifying' all US citizens. Thus, it was ONLY introduced with the explicit legal restriction that it COUT NOT EVER be used as a means of identification. That was the LAW. When was that legal restriction repealed ?
The original Social Security Act of 1935 did not contain any explicit statutory prohibition against using the Social Security Number (SSN) for identification purposes. That is a very common myth, but it is not accurate.What did exist was strong political messaging and assurances given to the public in the 1930s and 1940s that the SSN was only for tracking Social Security accounts and would never become a national ID number. For example:Early Social Security cards (1936–193
carried the printed legend “NOT FOR IDENTIFICATION” (this was placed there by the first Social Security Board as a public-relations measure, not because of any law).
Politicians and officials repeatedly promised it would never be used as a general identifier.
However, no federal statute ever prohibited the use of the SSN as identification. Because there was never a law banning it, there was nothing to “repeal” in the formal legal sense.What actually happened is that use of the SSN gradually expanded by new laws authorizing or requiring its use for various purposes:Year
Key Change Effect
1943 Executive Order 9397 (FDR)
Authorized federal agencies to use SSN for record-keeping where they already had numbering systems
1961 IRS began requiring SSN for tax returns
First major non-Social Security use
1972 Law allowed states to use SSN for welfare and food stamps
Expanded state-level use
1974 Privacy Act of 1974
Actually placed some limits, requiring disclosure when SSN is requested, but did not ban its use
1976 Tax Reform Act
Authorized states to use SSN for driver’s licenses and tax purposes
1980s–1990s Series of laws
Required SSN for bank accounts, credit applications, military ID, federal benefits, child support enforcement, etc.
1996
Welfare Reform Act
Required SSN for virtually all federal and state benefits and licenses
By the late 1980s–early 1990s, the SSN had effectively become the de facto national identifier in the United States, despite the original promises.Bottom line:
There was never a legal prohibition in the Social Security Act itself that was later repealed. The restriction existed only as a policy promise and early card notation, not as binding law. The transformation happened through decades of incremental legislation that authorized wider use, not by repealing a ban.
Details on Privacy Act of 1974
Comparisons to national ID systems
Think Harder
[b]ME, I STILL BELIEVE THAT REQUIRING SS numbers as a 'national ID system' SHOULD BE ILLEGAL.
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good ...
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