Posted on 09/05/2012 2:42:50 AM PDT by EBH
It didn't take long for the Internet to start buzzing with conspiracy theories after the Social Security Administration posted a notice that it was purchasing 174,000 hollow-point bullets.
Why is the agency that provides benefits to retirees, disabled workers, widows and children stockpiling ammunition? Whom are they going to use it on?
"It's not outlandish to suggest that the Social Security Administration is purchasing the bullets as part of preparations for civil unrest," the website Infowars.com said...
...The bullets are for Social Security's office of inspector general, which has about 295 agents who investigate Social Security fraud and other crimes, said Jonathan L. Lasher, the agency's assistant IG for external relations.
The agents carry guns and make arrests 589 last year, Lasher said. They execute search warrants and respond to threats against Social Security offices, employees and customers.
Agents carry .357 caliber pistols, Lasher said. The bullets, which add up to about 590 per agent, are for the upcoming fiscal year. Most will be expended on the firing range.
Some bloggers have taken issue with the type of ammunition the agency is buying, questioning why agents need hollow-point bullets. Hollow-points are known for causing more tissue damage than other bullets when they hit a person because they expand when they enter the body.
The bullets, however, are standard issue for many law enforcement agencies, Lasher said, a fact confirmed by the directors of two law enforcement training centers...
"Six hundred rounds per year for training, qualification and I would assume to carry on duty is not out of line at all," said John W. Worden,
(Excerpt) Read more at rr.com ...
The found only 595 case of fraud leading to arrest?
Thats 2 cases per year per officer
We need an immediate increase in MANDATORY JAIL TERM for government fraud (minimum 10 years) followed by a one-year amnesty and reward program for finding and reporting fraud
Yes, I would agree to amnesty (with restitution) - anything that exposes how fraud is committed- and if one confesses and gets amnesty we will get info on possibly hundreds of other people that are doing the same thing.
Excuse me -
I really don’t know, and I hope that someone here can answer this for me, but does it strike anyone strange that they’re taking hollow points to the gun range?
The bullets, however, are standard issue for many law enforcement agencies, Lasher said
Now repeat after me: “I’m from the government and I’m here to help you”.
I think this is somehow part of the Dems’ plan to contain Social Security and Medicare costs.
I think this is very appalling...our Social Security Agents need hollow point bullets but yet our border patrol agents have none! Brian Terry lost his life with guns the government could not track but yet they seem to be able to track the bullets. SO SAD!
Hollow point bullets are expressly forbidden for our soldiers to use in war.
Yet our non-soldier government employees have them.
Does this violate the Geneva Convention?
Uh... when they're committing social security fraud?
You do know there is rampant social security fraud, right?
Actually, this is the logical extension of the panels that will be determining the ‘life value’ of oldsters like me in order to recommend the proper treatment.
When you get to a certain age and have a serious illness one of the Medicare agents will visit you with a .357 treatment. At this point, they only anticipate about 150,000 treatments per year and the rest of the ammo is for training and the occasional miss if the patient runs.
Shut up and eat your Soylent Green.
SS also manages Social Security Disability, which is very popular among "inner city" types. A twenty-something male gangbanger may tend to get very upset with somebody investigating whether he truly deserves to get a disability check.
OK I feel real good about the whole thing now. Not.
You are correct. Organized crime has been involved in SS crime for a long time. Of course the answer isn’t to buy .357 Sig rounds for enforcement agents, it’s to dismantle SS altogether.
Well, it is a fact that the US Dept. of Education has SWAT teams (plural) and they have been used.
Stupid, Stupid, Stupid
Lie, Lie, Lie
It is time to DownSize DC and Eliminate entire rogue Departments of the Federal Government.
The debate has been twisted.
It should *not* be why the SS needs bullets, which they can blow off by saying that they need bullets to enforce the law.
The debate *should* be, why in pluperfect hell *is* a non-police, non-military government agency enforcing laws?
That is, just because someone is a federal employee does not mean that they should be able to perform federal law enforcement, including the power of lawful arrest.
The federal government has 100+ federal police agencies. Why are non-police agencies *permitted* to have agents solely under their authority? Can’t they “borrow” some when they become aware of a criminal violation of the law?
The bottom line is that the Social Security Administration, the Department of Education, the Department of Commerce, Health and Human Services, Housing and Urban Development, Labor, Transportation, LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, Environmental Protection Agency, NASA, Railroad Retirement Board, Small Business Administration, FDIC, AMTRAK (three different departments), the Tennessee Valley Authority, and USAID,
DO NOT NEED TO HAVE SWAT TEAMS, ARMED AGENTS, POLICE AUTHORITY, ETC.
If they need it in the performance of their duties, they can borrow some. With a court order.
Well, as expensive as it is, you should really practice with what you intend to use. Some ammunition and handguns just don't get along, and it's better to find that out before the processed foodstuffs hit the ocillating ventilator.
Why does Social Security need 174,000 bullets?
Under Obama to thin out the number of those collecting SS.
Caskets!? Are you insane man? They're cutting down on waste! They'll simply take a Caterpillar out into the desert, dig a big hole, throw the bodies in and then [possibly] cover them up.
Everyone knows that tyrannical citizen-disrespecting governments aren't averse to mass-graves!
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