1 00:00:01,120 --> 00:00:04,280 Speaker 1: Hi, everybody, it's Charles W. Chuck Bryant here. Why don't 2 00:00:04,280 --> 00:00:06,120 Speaker 1: you jump back into the wayback machine with me and 3 00:00:06,160 --> 00:00:08,640 Speaker 1: we'll go back to April nineteen, twenty twelve for this 4 00:00:08,720 --> 00:00:14,280 Speaker 1: Saturday Selects episode Social Security Numbers colon less boring than 5 00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:17,120 Speaker 1: You'd think, And I gotta tell you it is less 6 00:00:17,160 --> 00:00:19,160 Speaker 1: boring than you'd think. This is a really good episode, 7 00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:21,520 Speaker 1: So check it out. If you didn't think you wanted 8 00:00:21,520 --> 00:00:24,400 Speaker 1: to know about social Security numbers, think again, pal. 9 00:00:29,760 --> 00:00:39,360 Speaker 2: Welcome to Stuff you should know, a production of iHeartRadio. Hey, 10 00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:43,279 Speaker 2: and welcome to the podcast. I'm Josh Clark. There's Charles W. 11 00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:48,080 Speaker 1: Chuck Bryant aka two eight six five four seven five 12 00:00:48,159 --> 00:00:48,560 Speaker 1: two three. 13 00:00:48,720 --> 00:00:51,839 Speaker 2: Dude, you can't come out your social Security number. I 14 00:00:51,920 --> 00:00:53,560 Speaker 2: just made that up. I thought about that. I thought 15 00:00:53,600 --> 00:00:56,240 Speaker 2: about what if I like ended up when we were 16 00:00:56,240 --> 00:00:59,080 Speaker 2: describing like what the different numbers were. Yeah, I was like, well, 17 00:00:59,120 --> 00:01:01,480 Speaker 2: my have to be this one. If you listen to 18 00:01:01,520 --> 00:01:03,960 Speaker 2: the whole podcast, you could put together a social security number. 19 00:01:04,000 --> 00:01:06,280 Speaker 2: And I was like, don't do that, Josh, don't. 20 00:01:06,640 --> 00:01:09,040 Speaker 1: We should probably beep out what I said anyway, because 21 00:01:09,040 --> 00:01:11,400 Speaker 1: that might be someone else's social Security number. 22 00:01:11,720 --> 00:01:12,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, I don't. 23 00:01:13,160 --> 00:01:14,679 Speaker 1: I don't want to be responsible for that. 24 00:01:14,920 --> 00:01:18,040 Speaker 2: Okay, we'll go back and beat that out. That's really 25 00:01:18,560 --> 00:01:21,480 Speaker 2: some CoA right there. Why how do you know that 26 00:01:21,480 --> 00:01:24,080 Speaker 2: that person would be there? Like, yes, you should notice 27 00:01:24,120 --> 00:01:27,160 Speaker 2: called me out serial number? Why I want a contest. 28 00:01:27,200 --> 00:01:29,040 Speaker 1: I can pay for my own hotel in Atlanta to 29 00:01:29,080 --> 00:01:29,839 Speaker 1: go see the guys. 30 00:01:30,640 --> 00:01:38,160 Speaker 2: But just me, so Jerry like that? Yeah? So chuck, josh. 31 00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:42,200 Speaker 2: Uh do you know much about social security? 32 00:01:43,160 --> 00:01:43,440 Speaker 1: A bit? 33 00:01:43,520 --> 00:01:46,360 Speaker 2: You're about to chuck? 34 00:01:46,600 --> 00:01:46,880 Speaker 1: Yes. 35 00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:52,280 Speaker 2: The Social Security Act of nineteen thirty five, Yes, created 36 00:01:52,280 --> 00:01:57,480 Speaker 2: by our old timey forebears, basically created a scheme, and 37 00:01:57,600 --> 00:01:59,960 Speaker 2: not scheme in the way of like a carbon trading 38 00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:01,600 Speaker 2: scheme or something like that. I know you don't like 39 00:02:01,640 --> 00:02:04,480 Speaker 2: that word, but it's a legitimate word. It doesn't necessarily 40 00:02:04,480 --> 00:02:10,680 Speaker 2: mean something nefarious. Right, But under this scheme, social security 41 00:02:12,200 --> 00:02:15,920 Speaker 2: is given to retiring workers, yes, in the month, in 42 00:02:15,960 --> 00:02:19,359 Speaker 2: the form of a monthly payment, where basically it says, hey, 43 00:02:19,720 --> 00:02:22,440 Speaker 2: good job, you did a good job working. Go take 44 00:02:22,480 --> 00:02:24,440 Speaker 2: care of yourself. We don't want you to die on 45 00:02:24,480 --> 00:02:28,320 Speaker 2: the street. Sure, this should hopefully sustain you in your 46 00:02:28,360 --> 00:02:31,240 Speaker 2: retirement years. Right. This is before the advent of four 47 00:02:31,280 --> 00:02:32,440 Speaker 2: oh one k's and the like. 48 00:02:32,639 --> 00:02:34,840 Speaker 1: Right, this just thirty five bucks a month. 49 00:02:35,160 --> 00:02:38,640 Speaker 2: Right, Well, the whole basis of it is that the 50 00:02:38,680 --> 00:02:45,320 Speaker 2: workers of today pay into the Social Security fund and 51 00:02:46,480 --> 00:02:50,919 Speaker 2: it is immediately taken and distributed dispersed to workers who 52 00:02:51,040 --> 00:02:55,799 Speaker 2: have retired today. Yeah, so the workers of today are 53 00:02:55,800 --> 00:02:58,880 Speaker 2: taking care of the workers of yesterday. That's the whole 54 00:02:58,919 --> 00:03:02,040 Speaker 2: point too. It So this has led some people to 55 00:03:02,160 --> 00:03:07,119 Speaker 2: claim that the Social Security program is nothing more than 56 00:03:07,280 --> 00:03:10,760 Speaker 2: a Ponzi scheme where you're taking the money of these 57 00:03:10,800 --> 00:03:14,960 Speaker 2: people to pay off other people, or socialism even Oh, 58 00:03:15,040 --> 00:03:17,239 Speaker 2: it's totally different. It is socialism. 59 00:03:17,320 --> 00:03:19,519 Speaker 1: Yeah, but people cry socialism a lot these days, and 60 00:03:19,560 --> 00:03:23,040 Speaker 1: they don't think about things like social security in all 61 00:03:23,040 --> 00:03:25,639 Speaker 1: the different ways we do have socialism that people are like, oh, 62 00:03:25,639 --> 00:03:26,440 Speaker 1: that's fine. 63 00:03:26,280 --> 00:03:29,440 Speaker 2: Right, sure, yeah, Well but you can make a case 64 00:03:29,520 --> 00:03:33,440 Speaker 2: that it is a Ponzi scheme. Sure, but Stephen Goss, 65 00:03:33,760 --> 00:03:38,440 Speaker 2: chief Actuary for the Social Security Administration, would take issue 66 00:03:38,440 --> 00:03:38,760 Speaker 2: with that. 67 00:03:38,880 --> 00:03:39,760 Speaker 1: I'm sure he would. 68 00:03:40,080 --> 00:03:42,440 Speaker 2: He would say it's not a Ponzi scheme because a 69 00:03:42,440 --> 00:03:44,080 Speaker 2: Ponzi scheme is not sustainable. 70 00:03:45,840 --> 00:03:48,600 Speaker 1: Some might argue that social security is not sustainable, and 71 00:03:48,640 --> 00:03:50,720 Speaker 1: that is, as we say here in the South. That's 72 00:03:50,760 --> 00:03:51,680 Speaker 1: a whole nother show. 73 00:03:52,400 --> 00:03:54,280 Speaker 2: Oh okay, well I won't talk about it anymore. 74 00:03:54,600 --> 00:03:57,360 Speaker 1: Well, what do you have some numbers on its sustainability? Well, 75 00:03:57,720 --> 00:03:58,560 Speaker 1: we can chat about it. 76 00:03:58,640 --> 00:04:01,240 Speaker 2: Here's the thing. So if you just if you had 77 00:04:01,440 --> 00:04:06,000 Speaker 2: zero population growth, this thing would work forever, right, and 78 00:04:06,040 --> 00:04:10,720 Speaker 2: it would work completely efficiently with no changes whatsoever. Unfortunately, 79 00:04:10,760 --> 00:04:13,120 Speaker 2: we don't have zero population growth, and we actually had 80 00:04:13,120 --> 00:04:15,600 Speaker 2: a spike in population that we know of as the 81 00:04:15,640 --> 00:04:20,240 Speaker 2: baby boom, right, which means that very shortly and starting now, 82 00:04:20,279 --> 00:04:23,960 Speaker 2: I think more, there will be way more retired workers 83 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:26,880 Speaker 2: than there are workers, which means that the workers of 84 00:04:26,920 --> 00:04:29,159 Speaker 2: today are going to have far greater burden placed on 85 00:04:29,240 --> 00:04:31,520 Speaker 2: them taking care of these retired workers than any other 86 00:04:31,560 --> 00:04:32,320 Speaker 2: workers ever. 87 00:04:32,160 --> 00:04:32,760 Speaker 1: Have or will. 88 00:04:33,520 --> 00:04:37,440 Speaker 2: But Stephen Goss, chief factuary for the Social Security Administration, 89 00:04:37,520 --> 00:04:40,720 Speaker 2: says this will eventually work itself out. The government's taken 90 00:04:40,800 --> 00:04:44,799 Speaker 2: steps to address this, and what is done is raise 91 00:04:44,880 --> 00:04:47,560 Speaker 2: the amount of money that people throw into this. And 92 00:04:47,560 --> 00:04:51,080 Speaker 2: they're taking the extra money, and the government is buying 93 00:04:51,480 --> 00:04:55,640 Speaker 2: treasury bonds, investing in itself. Now here's the weird thing. 94 00:04:55,880 --> 00:05:00,880 Speaker 2: When they come mature, these bonds, the government pays these 95 00:05:00,920 --> 00:05:04,520 Speaker 2: things off with other tax money. So the government is 96 00:05:04,520 --> 00:05:08,920 Speaker 2: going to pay the Social Security fun back with other 97 00:05:09,040 --> 00:05:09,719 Speaker 2: tax money. 98 00:05:09,880 --> 00:05:10,400 Speaker 1: Yeah. 99 00:05:10,560 --> 00:05:17,000 Speaker 2: Now, this will drive people crazy, conservatives, libertarians, liberals, right 100 00:05:17,080 --> 00:05:22,120 Speaker 2: leaning liberals, right fiscally conservative liberals especially, But Stephen Goss 101 00:05:22,120 --> 00:05:24,200 Speaker 2: assures us it's just a little bump. We're probably not 102 00:05:24,240 --> 00:05:26,640 Speaker 2: going to have another population spike for a while, and 103 00:05:26,839 --> 00:05:30,080 Speaker 2: Social Security will go right back to normal. It just 104 00:05:30,120 --> 00:05:31,559 Speaker 2: sticks for us right now. 105 00:05:31,720 --> 00:05:34,159 Speaker 1: Right. The other thing that I'd never really thought about 106 00:05:34,320 --> 00:05:36,920 Speaker 1: is it could not have been a sustainable program even 107 00:05:36,960 --> 00:05:41,719 Speaker 1: to begin with, because you start Social Security and when 108 00:05:41,760 --> 00:05:45,039 Speaker 1: was it, nineteen thirty five? Yeah, people started getting paid out, 109 00:05:45,440 --> 00:05:49,080 Speaker 1: you know, a year later, two years later, and so 110 00:05:49,600 --> 00:05:52,000 Speaker 1: they weren't paying in that long. So immediately you've got 111 00:05:52,040 --> 00:05:54,840 Speaker 1: a problem on your hands because people are starting to 112 00:05:54,880 --> 00:05:57,039 Speaker 1: get payouts that didn't pay in for twenty years. 113 00:05:57,040 --> 00:06:00,520 Speaker 2: Well saying, yes, that is the case, but they were 114 00:06:00,560 --> 00:06:02,080 Speaker 2: smaller at first. 115 00:06:02,360 --> 00:06:05,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, but it still creates a bit of a wrinkle. 116 00:06:05,040 --> 00:06:07,600 Speaker 1: I think that would wrinkle in time for the future. 117 00:06:07,720 --> 00:06:10,320 Speaker 2: I think so. But it was a hump that had 118 00:06:10,360 --> 00:06:12,560 Speaker 2: to be gotten over, and it was gotten over, like 119 00:06:12,800 --> 00:06:14,800 Speaker 2: basically the first people just got screwed. 120 00:06:15,800 --> 00:06:18,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, well, well, but they didn't pay in that much 121 00:06:18,080 --> 00:06:18,760 Speaker 1: either though, So. 122 00:06:19,160 --> 00:06:22,520 Speaker 2: No, and that's true. So they were rightly screwed. Okay, 123 00:06:23,000 --> 00:06:25,119 Speaker 2: so let's talk about the history of all this chuck. 124 00:06:25,440 --> 00:06:27,880 Speaker 2: And by the way, I guess the takeaway from the 125 00:06:27,920 --> 00:06:30,800 Speaker 2: intro social Security is considered a. 126 00:06:30,720 --> 00:06:32,880 Speaker 1: What a punt sis scheme. 127 00:06:34,320 --> 00:06:38,200 Speaker 2: I think people were just in there, like say, I know, all. 128 00:06:38,160 --> 00:06:41,480 Speaker 1: Right, well you already you already blew the big secret 129 00:06:41,560 --> 00:06:45,960 Speaker 1: there the Act of nineteen thirty five. It was coined. 130 00:06:46,000 --> 00:06:51,200 Speaker 1: The name social Security was coined by Abraham Epstein, who 131 00:06:51,320 --> 00:06:56,840 Speaker 1: led the American Association for Social Security. Yeah, and they 132 00:06:57,040 --> 00:07:00,400 Speaker 1: began paying out in thirty seven, like you said, yeah, 133 00:07:01,040 --> 00:07:03,520 Speaker 1: just for workers, right, and it was. 134 00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:08,440 Speaker 2: The biggest wage journer of a household basically the dad, 135 00:07:08,640 --> 00:07:12,440 Speaker 2: right got the money as the retiree. Yeah, and it 136 00:07:12,480 --> 00:07:14,240 Speaker 2: was a lump something, right. 137 00:07:14,280 --> 00:07:16,680 Speaker 1: They didn't pay it in monthly buckets back then. 138 00:07:17,000 --> 00:07:19,120 Speaker 2: Tell him what the first guy who got social Security 139 00:07:19,160 --> 00:07:21,040 Speaker 2: got his lump sum. 140 00:07:21,320 --> 00:07:25,400 Speaker 1: Yeah, his lump sum was was it seventeen cents? 141 00:07:25,640 --> 00:07:28,760 Speaker 2: Yeah, in January nineteen thirty seven. He was the first 142 00:07:28,800 --> 00:07:31,680 Speaker 2: guy to get Social Security benefits. And I lickd it up. 143 00:07:31,880 --> 00:07:35,080 Speaker 2: That's two dollars and fifty five cents in twenty ten money. 144 00:07:35,280 --> 00:07:35,960 Speaker 1: Oh wow. 145 00:07:37,480 --> 00:07:40,200 Speaker 2: So even back then he was just like, hey, federal government, 146 00:07:40,200 --> 00:07:41,520 Speaker 2: I got some in my pocket for you. 147 00:07:41,640 --> 00:07:46,680 Speaker 1: Yeah, Josh just made an obscene gesture. We should just 148 00:07:46,680 --> 00:07:49,320 Speaker 1: say that. In nineteen thirty nine, just two years later, 149 00:07:49,360 --> 00:07:53,640 Speaker 1: they added survivors benefits and benefits to spouses and children. 150 00:07:55,720 --> 00:08:01,800 Speaker 1: Flash forward to fifty six, they added disability benefits. Medicare 151 00:08:01,880 --> 00:08:06,400 Speaker 1: was signed into law. Yeah, and in sixty one, the uh, 152 00:08:07,720 --> 00:08:10,240 Speaker 1: I'm sorry. In sixty one sixty two, the Civil Service 153 00:08:10,280 --> 00:08:14,680 Speaker 1: Commission and the IRS adopted the Social Security number as 154 00:08:14,720 --> 00:08:20,040 Speaker 1: your official federal ID number and taxpayer ID number, right respectively. 155 00:08:19,520 --> 00:08:22,119 Speaker 2: Which is a kind of a thing because the first 156 00:08:22,160 --> 00:08:25,200 Speaker 2: Social Security cards specifically said on them not to be 157 00:08:25,280 --> 00:08:28,640 Speaker 2: used as identification. Yeah, but they never made a follow 158 00:08:28,720 --> 00:08:30,920 Speaker 2: up law to enforce it, and so everybody's like, no, 159 00:08:31,000 --> 00:08:32,480 Speaker 2: it's perfect for identification. 160 00:08:32,720 --> 00:08:35,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, I'll always remember it because of this card in 161 00:08:35,320 --> 00:08:35,760 Speaker 1: my wallet. 162 00:08:35,800 --> 00:08:38,200 Speaker 2: We'll use the mark of the beast as identification. 163 00:08:40,559 --> 00:08:44,160 Speaker 1: The first numbers, because this is not just about Social 164 00:08:44,160 --> 00:08:46,680 Speaker 1: Security but more about the numbers, which is more interesting 165 00:08:46,760 --> 00:08:52,000 Speaker 1: than I thought. Slightly, Yeah, it was. They were distributed 166 00:08:52,040 --> 00:08:54,520 Speaker 1: through the post office because they didn't have field offices yet. 167 00:08:54,559 --> 00:08:58,959 Speaker 1: So yeah, forty five thousand post offices took the initial 168 00:08:59,040 --> 00:09:03,439 Speaker 1: task to type up. These cards are called typing centers. 169 00:09:03,679 --> 00:09:08,080 Speaker 2: Yeah. So basically this is what I This is the 170 00:09:08,120 --> 00:09:13,520 Speaker 2: part I entitled bureaucracy. Ho right, Yeah. The Social Security 171 00:09:14,400 --> 00:09:18,600 Speaker 2: Administration contacted all employers in the United States and said, hey, 172 00:09:20,000 --> 00:09:23,000 Speaker 2: this is a form SS four and on it you 173 00:09:23,160 --> 00:09:25,200 Speaker 2: just list the number of employees you have working for 174 00:09:25,280 --> 00:09:27,000 Speaker 2: you mail it back to us. And so all the 175 00:09:27,040 --> 00:09:31,199 Speaker 2: employers filled out I have fifteen employees and then mailed 176 00:09:31,200 --> 00:09:34,000 Speaker 2: the SS four back to the Social Security Administration. Social 177 00:09:34,000 --> 00:09:37,920 Speaker 2: Security Administration opened up the SS fours and they said, okay, 178 00:09:38,120 --> 00:09:42,160 Speaker 2: this employer has fifteen employees, so we're going to mail 179 00:09:42,240 --> 00:09:47,280 Speaker 2: him fifteen SS five forms, which are basically signing up 180 00:09:47,280 --> 00:09:48,480 Speaker 2: for your Social Security number. 181 00:09:48,559 --> 00:09:48,800 Speaker 1: Yeah. 182 00:09:48,960 --> 00:09:52,600 Speaker 2: Right, So they mailed the fifteen back, probably in one package, 183 00:09:52,600 --> 00:09:56,160 Speaker 2: to the employer, and the employer distributed them among his employees. 184 00:09:56,520 --> 00:09:59,080 Speaker 2: The employees filled out the SS five forms and they 185 00:09:59,120 --> 00:10:03,120 Speaker 2: sent them back to the Social Security Administration. Social Security 186 00:10:03,120 --> 00:10:06,319 Speaker 2: Administration said, oh, okay, now we have these and we're 187 00:10:06,320 --> 00:10:12,280 Speaker 2: going to assign social Security numbers, right right. They said, hey, 188 00:10:12,320 --> 00:10:14,959 Speaker 2: go to your post office the post Office gave them 189 00:10:14,960 --> 00:10:17,520 Speaker 2: the social Security numbers. The Post Office then sent that 190 00:10:17,600 --> 00:10:21,240 Speaker 2: duplicate form to the Social Security Administration, who created the 191 00:10:21,280 --> 00:10:24,200 Speaker 2: master file of all of these documents put together, which 192 00:10:24,360 --> 00:10:25,719 Speaker 2: was your social Security. 193 00:10:25,400 --> 00:10:27,720 Speaker 1: Number file, and that was sent to Maryland. 194 00:10:28,280 --> 00:10:31,040 Speaker 2: Yes, and then in Maryland is where it all came together. 195 00:10:32,400 --> 00:10:37,840 Speaker 1: That's right. Yeah, well what came together there? The numbers, 196 00:10:37,920 --> 00:10:41,000 Speaker 1: the numbering, the whole thing, your whole file. Okay, the 197 00:10:41,800 --> 00:10:44,800 Speaker 1: block file, that's right. So let's talk about the first 198 00:10:44,880 --> 00:10:45,960 Speaker 1: numbers since we're there. 199 00:10:46,160 --> 00:10:48,800 Speaker 2: Who has it? And is it zero zero one zero 200 00:10:48,880 --> 00:10:51,440 Speaker 2: one zero zero zero one? Is it the first number? 201 00:10:51,600 --> 00:10:54,160 Speaker 1: No? Well, we should first say that no one knows 202 00:10:54,200 --> 00:10:56,600 Speaker 1: for sure who got the very first card in the 203 00:10:56,720 --> 00:11:02,880 Speaker 1: very first number, because they reckon about several hundred thousand 204 00:11:02,920 --> 00:11:08,000 Speaker 1: people applied in that first November of nineteen thirty six. 205 00:11:08,080 --> 00:11:10,160 Speaker 2: So he didn't do the math, but they're some I'm 206 00:11:10,160 --> 00:11:12,520 Speaker 2: sure you could figure out statistically, and I'd be interested 207 00:11:12,559 --> 00:11:15,880 Speaker 2: to hear how to do this. But if one hundred 208 00:11:15,920 --> 00:11:19,520 Speaker 2: thousand people all got their card that day, yeah, and 209 00:11:19,640 --> 00:11:21,960 Speaker 2: the post offices were open from like eight to five, 210 00:11:22,120 --> 00:11:26,400 Speaker 2: sure how many people were handed their Social Security number 211 00:11:26,760 --> 00:11:32,240 Speaker 2: card simultaneously? That day, right, how many first people were there? 212 00:11:32,280 --> 00:11:34,520 Speaker 2: There's got to be some awesome math equation to figure 213 00:11:34,559 --> 00:11:34,839 Speaker 2: that out. 214 00:11:35,120 --> 00:11:40,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, somebody should do that for us since then, so 215 00:11:40,280 --> 00:11:42,439 Speaker 1: they don't know officially who it was, but their first 216 00:11:42,440 --> 00:11:46,640 Speaker 1: official record they do know. It was a guy named 217 00:11:46,720 --> 00:11:51,920 Speaker 1: John David Sweeney Junior. And he had the social Security 218 00:11:52,000 --> 00:11:57,480 Speaker 1: number five to five nine one, and by oh, I 219 00:11:57,480 --> 00:11:59,599 Speaker 1: mean zero of course or ought. 220 00:12:00,400 --> 00:12:02,680 Speaker 2: And he got his because the head of the Social 221 00:12:02,720 --> 00:12:05,960 Speaker 2: Security Administration took it off the top of a stack, yeah, 222 00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:08,000 Speaker 2: and said this is the first one. That's right, So 223 00:12:08,080 --> 00:12:08,520 Speaker 2: there you go. 224 00:12:08,760 --> 00:12:12,839 Speaker 1: But they did offer that to oh no, they sorry. 225 00:12:12,600 --> 00:12:16,480 Speaker 2: The zero zero one number, the lowest number right on record. 226 00:12:17,240 --> 00:12:20,200 Speaker 1: Right before we get to there, though, John David Sweeney 227 00:12:20,200 --> 00:12:24,720 Speaker 1: ironically died before he could collect his Social Security payments. 228 00:12:24,880 --> 00:12:27,720 Speaker 2: John David Sweeney's the one with the first social Security number, 229 00:12:27,880 --> 00:12:29,200 Speaker 2: So that is very ironic. 230 00:12:29,360 --> 00:12:29,720 Speaker 1: It is. 231 00:12:29,920 --> 00:12:32,280 Speaker 2: That's the fact of the podcast if you ask me. 232 00:12:32,360 --> 00:12:34,760 Speaker 1: Oh yeah, yeah, because retirement age was sixty five and 233 00:12:34,800 --> 00:12:38,160 Speaker 1: he died at sixty one. Yeah, Today they handle it differently. 234 00:12:38,160 --> 00:12:41,040 Speaker 1: It's a little confusing, but actually it's not that confusing. 235 00:12:41,160 --> 00:12:43,640 Speaker 1: You just have to be good at math. Benefits are 236 00:12:43,640 --> 00:12:46,520 Speaker 1: reduced by five nights of one percent for every month 237 00:12:46,520 --> 00:12:49,640 Speaker 1: you retire before the age of sixty five. Slacker yeah 238 00:12:50,559 --> 00:12:52,200 Speaker 1: or rich person. 239 00:12:52,280 --> 00:12:53,520 Speaker 2: Yeah, good for you. 240 00:12:54,280 --> 00:12:58,600 Speaker 1: So so back to the number one one or whatever. 241 00:12:58,720 --> 00:13:03,720 Speaker 2: Yeah, the all time low number holder who always will 242 00:13:03,760 --> 00:13:06,360 Speaker 2: be until we start recycling numbers if we ever need to. 243 00:13:06,679 --> 00:13:10,920 Speaker 2: We won't. We may, we may. Her name is Grace 244 00:13:10,960 --> 00:13:15,480 Speaker 2: d Owen. She is of Concord, New Hampshire, or Conquered Okay, 245 00:13:16,720 --> 00:13:19,440 Speaker 2: and uh yeah, because we always get male from people. 246 00:13:19,480 --> 00:13:23,000 Speaker 2: It's like, oh, you pronounced it Nevada, it's Nevada. Or 247 00:13:23,040 --> 00:13:27,319 Speaker 2: if we say Nevada, they say, hey, you pronounced Nevada incorrectly, 248 00:13:27,360 --> 00:13:28,199 Speaker 2: it's Nevada. 249 00:13:28,400 --> 00:13:31,360 Speaker 1: No, it is Nevada. But I tell everyone that writes 250 00:13:31,360 --> 00:13:35,480 Speaker 1: in from Nevada only people from Nevada say Nevada. Everyone 251 00:13:35,480 --> 00:13:35,920 Speaker 1: else has. 252 00:13:35,880 --> 00:14:03,760 Speaker 2: Nevada, especially people in Missouri. So chuck. Grace Diowen of Concord, 253 00:14:03,800 --> 00:14:08,000 Speaker 2: New Hampshire got the lowest number zero zero one zero 254 00:14:08,040 --> 00:14:11,280 Speaker 2: one zero zero zero one with her security numbers. It 255 00:14:11,400 --> 00:14:15,000 Speaker 2: was and she got that not because she was first 256 00:14:15,000 --> 00:14:17,720 Speaker 2: in line. As we've said, different guy got that low 257 00:14:17,800 --> 00:14:20,960 Speaker 2: number or a different guy got the first number, and 258 00:14:21,000 --> 00:14:26,280 Speaker 2: it wasn't low. She got it because of where she lived. Originally, 259 00:14:26,320 --> 00:14:29,600 Speaker 2: the number scheming was based on, well, the first two 260 00:14:29,720 --> 00:14:32,200 Speaker 2: numbers were based on the state you lived. 261 00:14:31,960 --> 00:14:35,880 Speaker 1: In, right, and starting northeast, moving westward. 262 00:14:35,600 --> 00:14:43,120 Speaker 2: Right, and so you had less than fifty possible primary numbers, 263 00:14:43,120 --> 00:14:45,760 Speaker 2: the first two, first three numbers. 264 00:14:45,920 --> 00:14:48,000 Speaker 1: Yeah, well not even They didn't even have fifty at 265 00:14:48,040 --> 00:14:48,600 Speaker 1: the time, did they. 266 00:14:48,720 --> 00:14:50,480 Speaker 2: No, that's what I'm saying. Yeah, so this is a 267 00:14:50,520 --> 00:14:53,120 Speaker 2: total waste of digits. They figured out very quickly, so 268 00:14:53,160 --> 00:14:57,400 Speaker 2: they started assigning them to zip codes instead. Right, And 269 00:14:57,440 --> 00:14:59,520 Speaker 2: we should talk about these numbers. Do you want to hear 270 00:14:59,560 --> 00:15:00,479 Speaker 2: Are we there? 271 00:15:00,560 --> 00:15:02,800 Speaker 1: Well, we are almost there, but you didn't mention that 272 00:15:02,840 --> 00:15:05,520 Speaker 1: Grace Owen got that number. That actually offered it as 273 00:15:05,560 --> 00:15:11,000 Speaker 1: an honor to John G. Winnet, the Social Security Board chairman, 274 00:15:11,480 --> 00:15:15,560 Speaker 1: and John Campbell, the Federal Bureau of Old Age Benefits 275 00:15:16,280 --> 00:15:20,240 Speaker 1: rep for the Boston They offered them both the number 276 00:15:21,360 --> 00:15:27,240 Speaker 1: one one one, and they both said, no, no thanks. 277 00:15:27,080 --> 00:15:29,600 Speaker 2: We are true bureaucrats and that would be against the 278 00:15:29,640 --> 00:15:30,960 Speaker 2: bureaucracy's rules. 279 00:15:31,160 --> 00:15:35,080 Speaker 1: That's right. And seventeen cents to Ernest Ackerman, the first 280 00:15:35,080 --> 00:15:35,880 Speaker 1: guy to get a payment. 281 00:15:36,520 --> 00:15:40,000 Speaker 2: Yes, but item a Fuller made out like a bandit. 282 00:15:40,480 --> 00:15:41,960 Speaker 1: This is exactly the problem. 283 00:15:42,240 --> 00:15:44,720 Speaker 2: This is not the problem. Missus Fuller did good things 284 00:15:44,720 --> 00:15:49,360 Speaker 2: with her money. She bought herself an edsel. Yeah, she 285 00:15:49,840 --> 00:15:57,280 Speaker 2: uh invested in uh webvan. She did great things. She 286 00:15:57,400 --> 00:16:02,600 Speaker 2: did so item A. Fuller retired in November nineteen thirty nine, 287 00:16:03,120 --> 00:16:06,640 Speaker 2: and she was the first person to start collecting monthly benefits. 288 00:16:07,120 --> 00:16:11,119 Speaker 2: So by the time she by the time Social Security payments, 289 00:16:11,320 --> 00:16:13,120 Speaker 2: or by the time you had to start paying him, 290 00:16:13,160 --> 00:16:17,640 Speaker 2: because another fact is that you can't opt out. And 291 00:16:17,720 --> 00:16:21,040 Speaker 2: the time she retired, she contributed a total of twenty 292 00:16:21,040 --> 00:16:24,080 Speaker 2: four dollars and seventy five cents. Yes, because of the 293 00:16:24,200 --> 00:16:27,760 Speaker 2: Social Security scheme. By the time she died at age 294 00:16:27,760 --> 00:16:31,200 Speaker 2: one hundred and nineteen seventy five, she collected a total 295 00:16:31,200 --> 00:16:34,280 Speaker 2: of twenty two thousand, eight hundred and eighty eight dollars 296 00:16:34,280 --> 00:16:35,280 Speaker 2: and ninety two cents. 297 00:16:35,360 --> 00:16:36,280 Speaker 1: She not sustainable. 298 00:16:36,360 --> 00:16:38,520 Speaker 2: She made out. She wore like a bandanna around her 299 00:16:38,560 --> 00:16:41,600 Speaker 2: face like the rest of her life. She did. 300 00:16:41,840 --> 00:16:44,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, she was a Social Security bandit. 301 00:16:44,680 --> 00:16:44,920 Speaker 2: Yeah. 302 00:16:45,920 --> 00:16:49,280 Speaker 1: Okay, back to the numbers. Is that enough history? 303 00:16:49,920 --> 00:16:53,880 Speaker 2: I think so? Ok So, the first three numbers they're 304 00:16:53,920 --> 00:16:57,480 Speaker 2: called what the area numbers, yes, And like you said, 305 00:16:57,480 --> 00:17:01,240 Speaker 2: they were originally from northeast to west. So like if 306 00:17:01,240 --> 00:17:04,720 Speaker 2: you were if you lived in New Hampshire, you your 307 00:17:04,800 --> 00:17:06,720 Speaker 2: first three numbers were going to be zero zero one. 308 00:17:07,440 --> 00:17:10,000 Speaker 2: Then they figured out that, well, that's stupid, Like we're 309 00:17:10,040 --> 00:17:12,560 Speaker 2: going to have fifty states top, so there's a whole 310 00:17:12,640 --> 00:17:15,679 Speaker 2: number that we're not using. Eventually we're gonna need it 311 00:17:15,720 --> 00:17:19,399 Speaker 2: because Social Security numbers aren't recycled, they're retired after the 312 00:17:19,440 --> 00:17:23,440 Speaker 2: person dies, right, that is true. So then they started 313 00:17:23,440 --> 00:17:25,679 Speaker 2: assigning them to zip code, so that started using up 314 00:17:25,680 --> 00:17:27,040 Speaker 2: a lot more numbers, right. 315 00:17:27,320 --> 00:17:30,360 Speaker 1: Yeah, zip code on the mailing address on the application form, 316 00:17:30,400 --> 00:17:34,600 Speaker 1: which didn't necessarily indicate your residence. It's just wherever the 317 00:17:34,600 --> 00:17:36,480 Speaker 1: mailing address was where you applied. 318 00:17:36,680 --> 00:17:40,840 Speaker 2: Right, exactly when you were living, right, And it doesn't, Yeah, 319 00:17:40,840 --> 00:17:43,440 Speaker 2: it doesn't. Mailing in residence is not the same address 320 00:17:43,560 --> 00:17:46,000 Speaker 2: most times, it is, sure, but even still, like the 321 00:17:46,080 --> 00:17:48,800 Speaker 2: place where I was born is not where I live now. 322 00:17:49,040 --> 00:17:51,399 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, so right, So I mean you have a 323 00:17:51,400 --> 00:17:55,440 Speaker 2: lot of weird numbers for. 324 00:17:55,480 --> 00:18:01,400 Speaker 1: The beginning, correct in the early seventies, since seventy two 325 00:18:01,520 --> 00:18:04,600 Speaker 1: is when they started the zip code. So I believe 326 00:18:05,520 --> 00:18:08,320 Speaker 1: that I actually in one of the last years since 327 00:18:08,320 --> 00:18:10,679 Speaker 1: I was born in seventy one, last people to get 328 00:18:11,520 --> 00:18:14,919 Speaker 1: the one based on the state. Cool, So I'm old timing. 329 00:18:14,680 --> 00:18:16,840 Speaker 2: Seriously, that is something. 330 00:18:17,000 --> 00:18:17,240 Speaker 1: Yeah. 331 00:18:19,160 --> 00:18:22,399 Speaker 2: The next two numbers are group numbers, so you have 332 00:18:22,560 --> 00:18:24,760 Speaker 2: your area number, and then the area number is broken 333 00:18:24,800 --> 00:18:27,480 Speaker 2: into groups zero one through ninety nine. 334 00:18:28,440 --> 00:18:29,600 Speaker 1: Yeah, and this makes sense. 335 00:18:29,840 --> 00:18:33,200 Speaker 2: So the two numbers in the middle are the you 336 00:18:33,240 --> 00:18:37,840 Speaker 2: are that group of that zip code or that state, 337 00:18:37,880 --> 00:18:39,040 Speaker 2: depending on how old you are. 338 00:18:39,240 --> 00:18:41,080 Speaker 1: Yeah, it was just a means to break it up 339 00:18:41,160 --> 00:18:44,600 Speaker 1: and make it simpler for accounting and filing and all 340 00:18:44,640 --> 00:18:45,040 Speaker 1: that stuff. 341 00:18:45,119 --> 00:18:48,879 Speaker 2: Right, because instead of just one group sure from an 342 00:18:48,880 --> 00:18:52,640 Speaker 2: area or what nine hundred and ninety nine possible areas, Yeah, 343 00:18:52,920 --> 00:18:55,879 Speaker 2: you now have ninety nine groups of nine hundred and 344 00:18:55,960 --> 00:18:59,639 Speaker 2: ninety nine possible areas, ninety nine groups each, which allows 345 00:18:59,640 --> 00:19:02,679 Speaker 2: for a lot more because the eight ball that the 346 00:19:02,680 --> 00:19:06,960 Speaker 2: Social Security number is always behind is basically running out 347 00:19:06,960 --> 00:19:07,520 Speaker 2: of numbers. 348 00:19:07,640 --> 00:19:11,000 Speaker 1: I don't think it'll happen. It will well eventually, but 349 00:19:11,040 --> 00:19:13,040 Speaker 1: there's what they say, a billion combinations. 350 00:19:13,080 --> 00:19:16,400 Speaker 2: There's a billion combinations. But consider this, there's been more 351 00:19:16,440 --> 00:19:21,280 Speaker 2: than four hundred million numbers issued since nineteen thirty five. Yeah, 352 00:19:21,400 --> 00:19:26,600 Speaker 2: so what sixty five seventy seven years, right, I have 353 00:19:26,640 --> 00:19:29,119 Speaker 2: a feeling that does take into account the baby boom 354 00:19:29,320 --> 00:19:31,240 Speaker 2: that ate up a lot of numbers, But I mean 355 00:19:31,280 --> 00:19:33,840 Speaker 2: I have a feeling that we could we could reach 356 00:19:33,920 --> 00:19:36,760 Speaker 2: that and what another one hundred, one hundred years, the 357 00:19:36,840 --> 00:19:39,680 Speaker 2: US will be around I'm sure longer than then, hopefully. 358 00:19:39,800 --> 00:19:43,119 Speaker 1: Hey you never know, Yeah, China is rising. Well it'll 359 00:19:43,119 --> 00:19:45,640 Speaker 1: be at the very least not in our lifetime. 360 00:19:46,359 --> 00:19:48,439 Speaker 2: Oh no, so who cares. I would have agreed with you. 361 00:19:48,440 --> 00:19:49,320 Speaker 2: You qualified it like that. 362 00:19:49,440 --> 00:19:53,440 Speaker 1: Yeah. Well, what they'll probably do is, and I'm guessing here, 363 00:19:53,480 --> 00:19:57,040 Speaker 1: but they'll probably start reassigning numbers from dead people. 364 00:19:56,840 --> 00:19:59,679 Speaker 2: Which will be weird. I use social Security number. 365 00:20:00,200 --> 00:20:02,200 Speaker 1: Yeah, I imagine they'd go back. I mean, it would 366 00:20:02,240 --> 00:20:04,199 Speaker 1: make sense to me that they would start from the 367 00:20:04,240 --> 00:20:08,080 Speaker 1: beginning again almost. Yeah, so like you're using someone's number 368 00:20:08,080 --> 00:20:12,400 Speaker 1: from nineteen thirty five in the year it's twenty one fourteen. Yeah, 369 00:20:12,440 --> 00:20:14,800 Speaker 1: you got a stinky old mothball number. 370 00:20:14,920 --> 00:20:18,480 Speaker 2: It's like a wicker wicker wheelchair or something like that, 371 00:20:19,400 --> 00:20:23,040 Speaker 2: or like leather leg braks. Is something weird, like from 372 00:20:23,080 --> 00:20:23,840 Speaker 2: the thirties? 373 00:20:25,119 --> 00:20:26,200 Speaker 1: What are you talking about? 374 00:20:26,359 --> 00:20:28,400 Speaker 2: You know exactly what I'm talking about Okay. 375 00:20:28,640 --> 00:20:33,400 Speaker 1: The last four digits are the serial numbers, and they 376 00:20:33,520 --> 00:20:37,720 Speaker 1: number consecutively from triple O one through nine nine nine nine. 377 00:20:38,280 --> 00:20:41,239 Speaker 2: So that's just saying, well, we're going to extend the 378 00:20:41,440 --> 00:20:45,240 Speaker 2: number the possible numbers we can come up with exactly 379 00:20:45,440 --> 00:20:48,600 Speaker 2: even more as a billion. And you know what, you 380 00:20:48,600 --> 00:20:50,800 Speaker 2: don't even necessarily have to recycle even if you add 381 00:20:50,840 --> 00:20:54,200 Speaker 2: like an extra attempt digit. How much would that change everything? 382 00:20:56,880 --> 00:20:58,919 Speaker 1: I mean, they'd have to rewrite all their programming and 383 00:20:58,960 --> 00:21:01,119 Speaker 1: all their accountings. 384 00:21:01,080 --> 00:21:03,000 Speaker 2: But then we wouldn't have to recycle numbers. 385 00:21:03,320 --> 00:21:06,720 Speaker 1: Yeah, good point. Okay, Luckily they have people much smarter 386 00:21:06,800 --> 00:21:08,560 Speaker 1: than that's deciding how to handle that. 387 00:21:09,520 --> 00:21:11,520 Speaker 2: I don't know, we're pretty sharp, all. 388 00:21:11,480 --> 00:21:14,200 Speaker 1: Right, Josh, common questions, these are actually pretty good. 389 00:21:14,920 --> 00:21:18,439 Speaker 2: Okay, Chuck, here's a question for you. Does everyone have 390 00:21:18,480 --> 00:21:19,920 Speaker 2: to have a Social Security number? 391 00:21:20,040 --> 00:21:24,040 Speaker 1: If you're over eighteen, then yes, you do. And if 392 00:21:24,080 --> 00:21:28,040 Speaker 1: you receive an income and you're over eighteen, okay, if 393 00:21:28,080 --> 00:21:33,119 Speaker 1: you're interested in starting up a bank account, being a 394 00:21:33,200 --> 00:21:37,880 Speaker 1: deduction on your parents' income taxes, all sorts of things 395 00:21:37,960 --> 00:21:43,040 Speaker 1: like that, metal getting medical coverage, taking advantage of government services, 396 00:21:43,080 --> 00:21:43,960 Speaker 1: then you're going to need that. 397 00:21:44,160 --> 00:21:46,439 Speaker 2: So there's a lot of people who dispute that that 398 00:21:46,840 --> 00:21:51,720 Speaker 2: you have to have that right. Practically speaking, you do, 399 00:21:52,080 --> 00:21:54,640 Speaker 2: like any bank can be like I'm not doing business 400 00:21:54,640 --> 00:21:57,399 Speaker 2: with you, and then you say, oh, okay, well I 401 00:21:57,440 --> 00:22:00,600 Speaker 2: can't force you to buy law, but I'll try your competitor, 402 00:22:01,119 --> 00:22:03,040 Speaker 2: and you go on down the line and maybe you 403 00:22:03,119 --> 00:22:05,359 Speaker 2: find a bank. From what I understand, there's banks that 404 00:22:05,400 --> 00:22:09,280 Speaker 2: are set up in the Midwest for people who don't 405 00:22:09,320 --> 00:22:12,480 Speaker 2: have Social Security numbers, who have said I'm not going 406 00:22:12,520 --> 00:22:14,200 Speaker 2: to have one. I don't trust the government, I don't 407 00:22:14,200 --> 00:22:16,320 Speaker 2: want to have a serial number, and I'm not going 408 00:22:16,400 --> 00:22:18,120 Speaker 2: to have this now. 409 00:22:18,160 --> 00:22:19,119 Speaker 1: But they're still paying in. 410 00:22:21,040 --> 00:22:23,520 Speaker 2: Uh yeah, yeah, I think they're still paying in, but 411 00:22:23,560 --> 00:22:25,440 Speaker 2: they don't have a Social Security number, so. 412 00:22:25,440 --> 00:22:27,080 Speaker 1: That means they're not going to get benefits at the end. 413 00:22:27,119 --> 00:22:29,280 Speaker 2: I don't think they think they're going to get benefits anyway. 414 00:22:29,600 --> 00:22:32,680 Speaker 2: I could get that, but yeah, they don't have a 415 00:22:32,720 --> 00:22:34,760 Speaker 2: Social Security number. I think there are there are people 416 00:22:34,760 --> 00:22:37,439 Speaker 2: who don't pay Social Security as well. It's like a 417 00:22:37,480 --> 00:22:40,920 Speaker 2: whole Yeah, there's like a whole topic along the fringe 418 00:22:40,960 --> 00:22:42,920 Speaker 2: of whether or not you need to have one, whether 419 00:22:43,000 --> 00:22:44,959 Speaker 2: or not you actually do have to pay in the 420 00:22:44,960 --> 00:22:49,000 Speaker 2: constitutionality of it, all that stuff, but for all practical purposes, 421 00:22:49,359 --> 00:22:52,040 Speaker 2: your life is exponentially easier if you have a Social 422 00:22:52,040 --> 00:22:52,840 Speaker 2: Security number. 423 00:22:52,920 --> 00:22:54,520 Speaker 1: Right, And you also said you have to pay because 424 00:22:54,520 --> 00:22:57,119 Speaker 1: you can't tell the government, you know what, I'm setting 425 00:22:57,200 --> 00:22:59,800 Speaker 1: up for my own retirement, and I want to take 426 00:23:00,080 --> 00:23:01,919 Speaker 1: all the available money that I make to do that 427 00:23:02,000 --> 00:23:05,800 Speaker 1: because my retirement plan is much better than whatever U 428 00:23:05,880 --> 00:23:06,800 Speaker 1: yokals are working on. 429 00:23:06,960 --> 00:23:09,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, because I mean, if you you have to pay 430 00:23:09,040 --> 00:23:11,760 Speaker 2: you in fifteen point three percent. I don't know if 431 00:23:11,800 --> 00:23:14,680 Speaker 2: that's current. I haven't looked, but as of the writing 432 00:23:14,720 --> 00:23:19,760 Speaker 2: of this article, it was fifteen point three percent, seven 433 00:23:19,800 --> 00:23:22,640 Speaker 2: points sixty five percent paid by you out of your 434 00:23:22,680 --> 00:23:26,120 Speaker 2: gross pay and seven point sixty five paid by your employer. 435 00:23:26,960 --> 00:23:30,560 Speaker 1: It is staggering how much we pay in taxes in 436 00:23:30,600 --> 00:23:31,160 Speaker 1: this country. 437 00:23:31,240 --> 00:23:33,800 Speaker 2: So if you took fifteen point three percent of your 438 00:23:33,800 --> 00:23:36,280 Speaker 2: gross pay and put it into a four oh one 439 00:23:36,359 --> 00:23:39,320 Speaker 2: k over the same course of years, you would have 440 00:23:40,040 --> 00:23:45,880 Speaker 2: so much more money. Yeah, barring another stock market catastrophe 441 00:23:45,880 --> 00:23:47,359 Speaker 2: before you could get your money out of your four 442 00:23:47,400 --> 00:23:50,760 Speaker 2: oh one k, right, you would have way more than 443 00:23:50,800 --> 00:23:55,000 Speaker 2: you have from the Social Security administration as benefits. 444 00:23:55,440 --> 00:23:56,960 Speaker 1: You know, what I meant to look up is if 445 00:23:57,280 --> 00:24:00,800 Speaker 1: the government uses this money for other things in the meantime, 446 00:24:02,080 --> 00:24:04,359 Speaker 1: or is it strictly like here, it's in this little 447 00:24:04,400 --> 00:24:06,479 Speaker 1: pool and all we're doing is paying people out with it. 448 00:24:06,520 --> 00:24:10,439 Speaker 2: Well, supposedly, before the baby boom problem arose, it was 449 00:24:11,280 --> 00:24:14,360 Speaker 2: going in and right back out. Okay, And I'm sure 450 00:24:14,359 --> 00:24:19,040 Speaker 2: any surplus was invested in treasury bonds. Now all of 451 00:24:19,040 --> 00:24:22,680 Speaker 2: the surpluses invested in treasury bonds, which is just such 452 00:24:22,680 --> 00:24:25,880 Speaker 2: a shell game. It's so crazy, and no one has 453 00:24:25,920 --> 00:24:28,040 Speaker 2: any idea if this is gonna work. I swear to God, 454 00:24:28,080 --> 00:24:29,000 Speaker 2: I'm not paranoid. 455 00:24:29,080 --> 00:24:29,240 Speaker 1: Yeah. 456 00:24:29,240 --> 00:24:31,840 Speaker 2: I don't live in the Midwest. I'm not a fringe dweller. 457 00:24:32,359 --> 00:24:35,040 Speaker 2: This is not something I like keep up with a lot. 458 00:24:35,800 --> 00:24:39,000 Speaker 2: I don't read WorldNet daily. There's nothing like that in 459 00:24:39,000 --> 00:24:41,119 Speaker 2: my life. Yeah, but I'm telling you this is like 460 00:24:41,520 --> 00:24:47,200 Speaker 2: there there's no guarantee that this social Security I guess 461 00:24:47,240 --> 00:24:51,520 Speaker 2: bandage for the baby boom population spike, if it's gonna work, 462 00:24:51,960 --> 00:24:54,440 Speaker 2: it's it's really at the very least, it's interesting. 463 00:24:54,560 --> 00:24:59,600 Speaker 1: Yeah, in the troubling, I would say, at the very least, sure, Okay, 464 00:24:59,400 --> 00:25:01,600 Speaker 1: they but you they make it real easy for you 465 00:25:01,640 --> 00:25:03,960 Speaker 1: to slap a number on your little, brand new baby. 466 00:25:04,040 --> 00:25:06,119 Speaker 2: Yes, do you have to have a number for your child? 467 00:25:06,640 --> 00:25:08,240 Speaker 1: Well, like I said, if you want them to get 468 00:25:08,240 --> 00:25:12,320 Speaker 1: medical coverage and open up a savings account in their 469 00:25:12,400 --> 00:25:15,760 Speaker 1: name for like their future college or trade school, or 470 00:25:15,920 --> 00:25:17,360 Speaker 1: travels around the world, or. 471 00:25:17,359 --> 00:25:20,120 Speaker 2: You want to claim it was a deduction on your tax. 472 00:25:19,920 --> 00:25:22,080 Speaker 1: Filing, yeah, then they're going to need one, and they 473 00:25:22,119 --> 00:25:23,800 Speaker 1: make it pretty easy on you to get one for 474 00:25:23,840 --> 00:25:25,520 Speaker 1: your new, little smelly baby. 475 00:25:25,600 --> 00:25:29,800 Speaker 2: They do. Again, I'm not a fringe dweller, but they 476 00:25:29,800 --> 00:25:35,080 Speaker 2: have the very sinister sounding Enumeration at Birth program. 477 00:25:34,600 --> 00:25:36,280 Speaker 1: That's pretty bad. Yeah. 478 00:25:36,320 --> 00:25:39,320 Speaker 2: It was started in nineteen eighty nine and basically just 479 00:25:39,359 --> 00:25:41,680 Speaker 2: made it very easy for you to get a Social 480 00:25:41,680 --> 00:25:43,840 Speaker 2: Security number for your infant as part of their birth 481 00:25:43,920 --> 00:25:47,640 Speaker 2: record forms. Right Enumeration at birth. 482 00:25:47,800 --> 00:25:49,600 Speaker 1: You know, I used to I think I mentioned this before. 483 00:25:49,640 --> 00:25:51,359 Speaker 1: I used to carry my card around on my wallet 484 00:25:51,359 --> 00:25:53,760 Speaker 1: when I was a teenager because I thought it was 485 00:25:53,880 --> 00:25:58,800 Speaker 1: I don't know, I thought it made me legitimate or adult, 486 00:25:59,280 --> 00:26:03,400 Speaker 1: like it's interesting. Everyone else is everyone else is out 487 00:26:03,480 --> 00:26:06,840 Speaker 1: drinking and I was like, no, no, I got myself 488 00:26:06,920 --> 00:26:07,720 Speaker 1: a security card. 489 00:26:08,080 --> 00:26:09,760 Speaker 2: It keeps the urges away. 490 00:26:09,800 --> 00:26:10,240 Speaker 1: That's right. 491 00:26:10,320 --> 00:26:12,600 Speaker 2: Hey, speaking of social Security cards and wallets, do you 492 00:26:12,680 --> 00:26:14,760 Speaker 2: want to talk about that, lady? Oh? 493 00:26:14,880 --> 00:26:17,240 Speaker 1: Yeah, I can't kill this Witcher. 494 00:26:17,520 --> 00:26:17,760 Speaker 2: Yeah. 495 00:26:17,800 --> 00:26:22,960 Speaker 1: This in uh nineteen thirty seven, dude named Douglas Patterson 496 00:26:23,000 --> 00:26:24,000 Speaker 1: had a wallet company. 497 00:26:24,440 --> 00:26:25,800 Speaker 2: I'm sorry, h Ferry. 498 00:26:26,000 --> 00:26:27,879 Speaker 1: Yeah, he was the vice president and treasurer of this 499 00:26:27,960 --> 00:26:31,040 Speaker 1: wallet company, and he said, you know what we should do. 500 00:26:31,400 --> 00:26:36,359 Speaker 1: We should include a fake social Security card and every wallet. 501 00:26:35,920 --> 00:26:39,840 Speaker 2: But we'll make it look really, really realistic by copying 502 00:26:40,480 --> 00:26:41,680 Speaker 2: yours secretary. 503 00:26:42,119 --> 00:26:45,800 Speaker 1: Yeah. He basically assigned these little fake cards that like, 504 00:26:45,840 --> 00:26:47,240 Speaker 1: you know, you get a picture frame with a fake 505 00:26:47,280 --> 00:26:50,000 Speaker 1: picture in it. Yeah, they gave out wallet or they 506 00:26:50,000 --> 00:26:52,240 Speaker 1: sold wallets with a fake social Security card with a 507 00:26:52,320 --> 00:26:54,560 Speaker 1: real number. I don't know why he thought that was 508 00:26:54,600 --> 00:26:56,240 Speaker 1: a good idea or why. 509 00:26:56,119 --> 00:26:58,120 Speaker 2: She went along with it. Yeah, what was her name, 510 00:26:58,440 --> 00:27:01,399 Speaker 2: Hilda Strader Witcher? She went along with this? Did she 511 00:27:01,520 --> 00:27:02,840 Speaker 2: go along with their boss? 512 00:27:02,960 --> 00:27:05,760 Speaker 1: Maybe she didn't know, No, she knew she did. 513 00:27:06,040 --> 00:27:09,040 Speaker 2: Yeah, And I guess she didn't feel like she could 514 00:27:09,040 --> 00:27:13,159 Speaker 2: assert herself at the time. But what over forty years, 515 00:27:13,200 --> 00:27:17,439 Speaker 2: something like forty thousand people used her social Security number? 516 00:27:17,600 --> 00:27:18,880 Speaker 1: Yeah, they gave her newing. 517 00:27:19,160 --> 00:27:21,919 Speaker 2: Yeah, and people were still using as recently as nineteen 518 00:27:21,960 --> 00:27:25,000 Speaker 2: seventy seven, there were twelve people using that as their 519 00:27:25,040 --> 00:27:26,800 Speaker 2: own because of this wallet. 520 00:27:27,000 --> 00:27:29,280 Speaker 1: Yeah, in defense of the dude. He did have the 521 00:27:29,320 --> 00:27:35,240 Speaker 1: word spitchimmen on the bottom of it Spaceman specimen, but 522 00:27:35,520 --> 00:27:37,359 Speaker 1: it was, you know, in small print, and it looked 523 00:27:37,480 --> 00:27:40,639 Speaker 1: like the real deal. It had the little emblem that 524 00:27:41,359 --> 00:27:42,560 Speaker 1: who was the guy who designed that? 525 00:27:44,520 --> 00:27:45,199 Speaker 2: Fred Happle? 526 00:27:45,520 --> 00:27:47,159 Speaker 1: That's right? And what else did he design? 527 00:27:47,520 --> 00:27:48,840 Speaker 2: The flying Tiger's logo? 528 00:27:49,080 --> 00:27:49,480 Speaker 1: Yeah? 529 00:27:49,560 --> 00:27:52,560 Speaker 2: Which what was that? Like a B two bomber logo? 530 00:27:52,880 --> 00:27:56,080 Speaker 1: Well, who knows? World War two? I guess some sort 531 00:27:56,080 --> 00:27:58,800 Speaker 1: of gunner plane or something. Okay, that'd be my guess. 532 00:27:58,920 --> 00:28:04,920 Speaker 2: The fighting Hellcats, Yeah, flying hell Fish, the Hellfish. 533 00:28:05,040 --> 00:28:10,720 Speaker 1: The Hellfish was the Simpsons. Yeah, okay, Josh, can you 534 00:28:10,800 --> 00:28:11,840 Speaker 1: get a new number? 535 00:28:14,320 --> 00:28:17,320 Speaker 2: Yes, but only in very extreme cases. 536 00:28:17,160 --> 00:28:21,440 Speaker 1: Like stalking, like stalking or fraud, a bad case of fraud, 537 00:28:21,480 --> 00:28:22,440 Speaker 1: I guess yeah. 538 00:28:22,480 --> 00:28:24,760 Speaker 2: I would imagine that the FBI can probably get you 539 00:28:24,800 --> 00:28:28,200 Speaker 2: on if you're part of the Witness Protection program. Oh sure, 540 00:28:28,480 --> 00:28:29,480 Speaker 2: which we've talked about. 541 00:28:29,520 --> 00:28:31,640 Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, you don't have to pay for that, there's 542 00:28:31,680 --> 00:28:37,600 Speaker 1: no fee from the SSA, but you what you should 543 00:28:37,640 --> 00:28:40,280 Speaker 1: be wary of as companies that claim that they can 544 00:28:40,320 --> 00:28:43,400 Speaker 1: get you a new number to absolve your credit, like, hey, 545 00:28:43,640 --> 00:28:47,320 Speaker 1: have you led an awful bad life, become a new person. 546 00:28:47,320 --> 00:28:49,280 Speaker 1: We'll get you a new Social Security number. 547 00:28:49,120 --> 00:28:54,040 Speaker 2: Which is hilarious if you think that that that's crazy 548 00:28:54,480 --> 00:28:58,560 Speaker 2: fallowing for that. It's like buying an elevator pass in 549 00:28:58,640 --> 00:29:01,920 Speaker 2: high school as a reshmen or something like that, except way. 550 00:29:01,800 --> 00:29:03,880 Speaker 1: Worse when you have a single floor high school. 551 00:29:04,560 --> 00:29:07,040 Speaker 2: Because I'm sure they're like, not only do we charge 552 00:29:07,080 --> 00:29:08,960 Speaker 2: you a fee, but give us your sub security number 553 00:29:09,000 --> 00:29:10,800 Speaker 2: because we have to go in and like make sure 554 00:29:10,840 --> 00:29:11,800 Speaker 2: that it's wiped out. 555 00:29:12,560 --> 00:29:18,600 Speaker 1: Right, geez, where are we here? You know? The title 556 00:29:18,600 --> 00:29:20,640 Speaker 1: of this section was why does it matter if someone 557 00:29:20,680 --> 00:29:25,520 Speaker 1: knows my Social Security number? I think it's pretty obvious. Yeah, 558 00:29:25,640 --> 00:29:29,520 Speaker 1: Identity theft, Yeah, it's a big problem these days. Back 559 00:29:29,520 --> 00:29:30,880 Speaker 1: in the old days, it wasn't as much. 560 00:29:31,000 --> 00:29:33,440 Speaker 2: It's actually gone down since this article. 561 00:29:33,920 --> 00:29:36,160 Speaker 1: What four hundred thousand years what they said here, right. 562 00:29:36,160 --> 00:29:38,560 Speaker 2: It's like two seventeen. Now, oh that's good. Well that's 563 00:29:38,560 --> 00:29:40,920 Speaker 2: the ones that the FTC gets reports of, which are 564 00:29:40,960 --> 00:29:43,880 Speaker 2: probably the lion's share of them. Right, But it was 565 00:29:43,920 --> 00:29:46,600 Speaker 2: supposedly increasing, like by some crazy percentage. 566 00:29:46,800 --> 00:29:48,040 Speaker 1: Yeah, forty percent per year. 567 00:29:48,120 --> 00:29:52,360 Speaker 2: It's up eleven percent. Okay, so it's gone down some. 568 00:29:52,480 --> 00:29:54,720 Speaker 2: I think people have just gotten scared of it, more 569 00:29:54,800 --> 00:29:59,080 Speaker 2: wary about it. But I mean it's still obviously a 570 00:29:59,080 --> 00:30:00,000 Speaker 2: pretty big problem. 571 00:30:00,240 --> 00:30:00,520 Speaker 1: Sure. 572 00:30:00,640 --> 00:30:03,080 Speaker 2: Part of the problem though, is that we shouldn't be 573 00:30:03,200 --> 00:30:07,920 Speaker 2: using social Security numbers for identification for a reason. They're 574 00:30:07,960 --> 00:30:09,720 Speaker 2: just way too publicly available. 575 00:30:10,000 --> 00:30:13,960 Speaker 1: Even the last four digits. Don't use that as like 576 00:30:14,000 --> 00:30:14,760 Speaker 1: your pin number. 577 00:30:15,400 --> 00:30:17,800 Speaker 2: No, but I mean, even if somebody asks you your 578 00:30:17,880 --> 00:30:21,520 Speaker 2: last four digits, how many people have your last four digits? 579 00:30:21,560 --> 00:30:23,719 Speaker 2: How many companies do a lot? A lot, And they 580 00:30:23,720 --> 00:30:26,080 Speaker 2: also have your birth date, They also have where you 581 00:30:26,080 --> 00:30:28,040 Speaker 2: were born, your mother's maiden name. It's just kind of 582 00:30:28,120 --> 00:30:32,080 Speaker 2: like it's all out there, I know. And basically there's 583 00:30:32,160 --> 00:30:38,600 Speaker 2: no really good scheme to I guess uses as a 584 00:30:38,640 --> 00:30:41,840 Speaker 2: pass code, as a past basically a way of saying 585 00:30:41,880 --> 00:30:44,959 Speaker 2: I am me right, because if we all just relied 586 00:30:45,000 --> 00:30:47,360 Speaker 2: on some other number or something like that, then people 587 00:30:47,360 --> 00:30:49,800 Speaker 2: could find that out. There's really no good way to 588 00:30:49,840 --> 00:30:53,800 Speaker 2: do it. But social Security numbers are definitely not the answer. Yeah. 589 00:30:53,800 --> 00:30:56,640 Speaker 1: I always get a little creeped out when some business, 590 00:30:56,760 --> 00:30:58,960 Speaker 1: you know, what are the last like Comcast or something 591 00:30:59,000 --> 00:31:01,320 Speaker 1: like my cable company. Yeah, we'll see what are your 592 00:31:01,400 --> 00:31:03,640 Speaker 1: last force of your social and I'll spit it out 593 00:31:03,720 --> 00:31:05,320 Speaker 1: and they'll go, okay, Right. 594 00:31:05,400 --> 00:31:07,320 Speaker 2: You can say I don't want to tell you, I 595 00:31:07,400 --> 00:31:10,480 Speaker 2: want to answer everything else, and they'll they'll run you 596 00:31:10,520 --> 00:31:11,360 Speaker 2: through your paces. 597 00:31:11,480 --> 00:31:13,840 Speaker 1: But they know it because they're asking you for identificing, 598 00:31:13,880 --> 00:31:16,080 Speaker 1: like right for verification. 599 00:31:15,760 --> 00:31:19,480 Speaker 2: Exactly because you've given it to them already. You don't. 600 00:31:19,800 --> 00:31:23,680 Speaker 2: There's basically most companies don't have any legal right to 601 00:31:23,800 --> 00:31:26,880 Speaker 2: ask you what your Social Security number is, right, But 602 00:31:27,280 --> 00:31:29,440 Speaker 2: they can also say, well, we don't trust you, so 603 00:31:29,720 --> 00:31:31,320 Speaker 2: if you don't give it to us when you open 604 00:31:31,320 --> 00:31:35,560 Speaker 2: your account or whatever exactly, then you're out of luck. 605 00:31:37,120 --> 00:31:42,680 Speaker 2: With government agencies. You can ask for the Privacy Act 606 00:31:42,720 --> 00:31:46,680 Speaker 2: of nineteen seventy four disclose your notice, which says like, hey, 607 00:31:47,040 --> 00:31:48,600 Speaker 2: we have a legal right to ask you this or 608 00:31:48,840 --> 00:31:51,520 Speaker 2: we don't, right, and then you can say you can't 609 00:31:51,520 --> 00:31:52,840 Speaker 2: ask me that, bob. 610 00:31:54,520 --> 00:31:58,280 Speaker 1: But yeah, all the protection advice that given here is 611 00:31:58,320 --> 00:32:01,640 Speaker 1: pretty basic. You know, don't carry your card and your wallet, 612 00:32:03,120 --> 00:32:05,600 Speaker 1: cancel credit cards you don't use, don't share. 613 00:32:05,360 --> 00:32:08,280 Speaker 2: It way, don't necessarily repute that one. What don't we 614 00:32:08,400 --> 00:32:10,840 Speaker 2: just cancel credit cards you don't use. There are things 615 00:32:10,840 --> 00:32:14,120 Speaker 2: you should do, like keep an eye on your accounts, 616 00:32:14,200 --> 00:32:16,240 Speaker 2: your credit card accounts, even though you don't use them. 617 00:32:16,600 --> 00:32:20,400 Speaker 2: But that's not necessarily good advice, especially credit wise, because 618 00:32:20,400 --> 00:32:25,680 Speaker 2: there's this thing called the available credit to debt ratio, 619 00:32:26,040 --> 00:32:28,000 Speaker 2: one of the ratios that they figure your credit score with. 620 00:32:28,280 --> 00:32:30,240 Speaker 2: And if you have a clean credit card you're not 621 00:32:30,320 --> 00:32:33,080 Speaker 2: using that has like five or ten grand of available 622 00:32:33,080 --> 00:32:35,920 Speaker 2: credit on it, sure that counts, and that makes you 623 00:32:36,040 --> 00:32:39,200 Speaker 2: very attractive to people who are selling you houses or 624 00:32:39,200 --> 00:32:42,600 Speaker 2: cars or whatever. That's true, So don't necessarily go do that. 625 00:32:42,760 --> 00:32:44,960 Speaker 2: Keep them in a safe deposit box, keep an eye 626 00:32:44,960 --> 00:32:47,200 Speaker 2: on all your accounts even if you're not using them. 627 00:32:47,280 --> 00:32:49,520 Speaker 1: Yeah. Boy, my credit rating is so good right now. 628 00:32:49,560 --> 00:32:50,640 Speaker 2: That's awesome, dude. 629 00:32:50,760 --> 00:32:54,640 Speaker 1: It's like top five percentile somehow. Oh yeah, and that 630 00:32:54,760 --> 00:32:57,200 Speaker 1: is I say that as a testament to you out 631 00:32:57,200 --> 00:33:00,320 Speaker 1: there who may have bad credit. You can hear it 632 00:33:00,360 --> 00:33:00,800 Speaker 1: over time. 633 00:33:00,920 --> 00:33:02,920 Speaker 2: Yeah, you and Emily did good. 634 00:33:03,000 --> 00:33:06,440 Speaker 1: Huh uh. Well yeah, she's the one that helped me 635 00:33:06,480 --> 00:33:09,040 Speaker 1: get my good credit back. That's good as CFO. 636 00:33:09,280 --> 00:33:10,960 Speaker 2: Congratulations, man, that's a big deal. 637 00:33:11,040 --> 00:33:13,440 Speaker 1: Thank you. It is good and my debts, you know, 638 00:33:13,520 --> 00:33:15,959 Speaker 1: from the past were I don't want to get into it, 639 00:33:16,000 --> 00:33:18,440 Speaker 1: but they had less to do with me and more 640 00:33:18,480 --> 00:33:18,920 Speaker 1: to do with. 641 00:33:18,960 --> 00:33:22,360 Speaker 2: Like bookies, heroin, No, like dog fighting. 642 00:33:22,160 --> 00:33:27,200 Speaker 1: Bad roommates and getting screwed over by you know, like, hey, 643 00:33:27,240 --> 00:33:30,200 Speaker 1: you were supposed to pay this Georgia power bill eight 644 00:33:30,280 --> 00:33:32,280 Speaker 1: years ago and it's still in my name and I 645 00:33:32,320 --> 00:33:34,760 Speaker 1: didn't even know about it. That kind of thing, gotcha, 646 00:33:35,000 --> 00:33:38,760 Speaker 1: And just being lazy in college, like miss, yeah, I 647 00:33:38,760 --> 00:33:40,800 Speaker 1: missed my credit card payment. No big deal, I'll just 648 00:33:40,800 --> 00:33:41,600 Speaker 1: pay it next month. 649 00:33:41,800 --> 00:33:45,000 Speaker 2: Right, I'm just gonna go buy some heroin instead. I 650 00:33:45,080 --> 00:34:10,279 Speaker 2: know you're doing in college, Chuck, not that, So I 651 00:34:10,280 --> 00:34:11,560 Speaker 2: guess that's about it. Huh. 652 00:34:12,360 --> 00:34:16,320 Speaker 1: Yeah. One more piece of advice, which is actually good. 653 00:34:17,000 --> 00:34:22,840 Speaker 1: Every few years, go to the SSA website and request 654 00:34:22,920 --> 00:34:26,400 Speaker 1: a copy of your earnings and Benefit Estimate statement. 655 00:34:26,520 --> 00:34:27,920 Speaker 2: Yeah. Have you heard of this before? No? 656 00:34:28,040 --> 00:34:29,400 Speaker 1: And I've never done it, and I'm gonna go do 657 00:34:29,440 --> 00:34:29,920 Speaker 1: it today. 658 00:34:30,080 --> 00:34:32,040 Speaker 2: All right, let's go do it together. We'll both go 659 00:34:32,120 --> 00:34:33,120 Speaker 2: do years together. 660 00:34:32,800 --> 00:34:35,160 Speaker 1: And we'll be like what, I've been working since I 661 00:34:35,200 --> 00:34:37,000 Speaker 1: was thirteen, So I imagine I'm doing pretty good. 662 00:34:37,120 --> 00:34:43,480 Speaker 2: Nice. Oh, we didn't talk about that. The system is waited. 663 00:34:43,560 --> 00:34:47,520 Speaker 2: The whole reason it was instituted was to help make 664 00:34:47,560 --> 00:34:50,080 Speaker 2: sure that people don't fall through the cracks or whatever. Yeah, 665 00:34:50,239 --> 00:34:54,960 Speaker 2: and to help the poor more than the wealthy. Although 666 00:34:55,000 --> 00:34:58,080 Speaker 2: you get more money out the more money you put 667 00:34:58,120 --> 00:34:58,920 Speaker 2: in right. 668 00:34:58,760 --> 00:35:01,000 Speaker 1: Which is based on your income, so the right you make, 669 00:35:01,040 --> 00:35:01,600 Speaker 1: the more you ban. 670 00:35:01,920 --> 00:35:06,640 Speaker 2: But it's also disproportionately weighted so that the people who 671 00:35:06,640 --> 00:35:12,840 Speaker 2: are earning the least get a disproportionate amount out to 672 00:35:12,880 --> 00:35:16,279 Speaker 2: help them, correct, Amanda, which is great. It's socialism at 673 00:35:16,320 --> 00:35:20,799 Speaker 2: its finest, as you said. So, uh yeah, that's about it. 674 00:35:21,520 --> 00:35:25,640 Speaker 2: That's social security numbers and pretty much social security. I 675 00:35:25,640 --> 00:35:28,440 Speaker 2: don't think any to do that again. Okay, hats off 676 00:35:28,480 --> 00:35:34,120 Speaker 2: the FDR, Pharah, new deal, great society. 677 00:35:34,920 --> 00:35:38,000 Speaker 1: Chicken in every pot that was Hoover a number on 678 00:35:38,040 --> 00:35:38,680 Speaker 1: every forehead. 679 00:35:40,800 --> 00:35:42,840 Speaker 2: Nice Chuck, thank you. We'll end it with that one. 680 00:35:43,040 --> 00:35:45,240 Speaker 2: If you want to know more about social security numbers, 681 00:35:45,480 --> 00:35:49,560 Speaker 2: you can read this exhaustive article about them by typing 682 00:35:49,600 --> 00:35:53,040 Speaker 2: in social security in the search bar at HowStuffWorks dot com. 683 00:35:53,040 --> 00:35:54,719 Speaker 2: Which means it's time for a listener mail. 684 00:35:57,840 --> 00:36:01,200 Speaker 1: Josh, I'm gonna call this following up on zero. That 685 00:36:01,200 --> 00:36:05,480 Speaker 1: one got a lot more attention than I thought. All 686 00:36:05,480 --> 00:36:09,480 Speaker 1: the math nerds came out you were like zero, very 687 00:36:09,480 --> 00:36:13,479 Speaker 1: happy that we did that. And one such nerd emailed this. 688 00:36:13,480 --> 00:36:16,120 Speaker 1: This is Stephen, and he says, I think I might 689 00:36:16,160 --> 00:36:18,000 Speaker 1: be able to put your mind to rest on a 690 00:36:18,040 --> 00:36:21,040 Speaker 1: couple of those zero properties. And a lot of people 691 00:36:21,080 --> 00:36:22,600 Speaker 1: try to explain this, and I think he did the 692 00:36:22,600 --> 00:36:26,400 Speaker 1: best first, dividing by zero. I find it helpful to 693 00:36:26,400 --> 00:36:31,239 Speaker 1: think of division as separating objects into containers. See this 694 00:36:31,320 --> 00:36:34,200 Speaker 1: guy is like talking up my alley. Yeah, yeah, I 695 00:36:34,200 --> 00:36:37,120 Speaker 1: can visualize stuff a lot better this way. So if 696 00:36:37,160 --> 00:36:40,799 Speaker 1: you have five objects and five containers, you would put 697 00:36:40,880 --> 00:36:43,919 Speaker 1: one object in each container. You still have the same 698 00:36:44,000 --> 00:36:48,600 Speaker 1: number of objects, but divided evenly across containers. Now, if 699 00:36:48,600 --> 00:36:52,520 Speaker 1: you have five objects and no containers, in other words, 700 00:36:52,560 --> 00:36:56,000 Speaker 1: dividing by zero, you still have all the same objects, 701 00:36:56,600 --> 00:36:59,799 Speaker 1: but they have not been put anywhere. You can't say 702 00:36:59,800 --> 00:37:03,440 Speaker 1: that you'd put zero per container because it's not a 703 00:37:03,520 --> 00:37:06,759 Speaker 1: lack of items, but rather a lack of containers. So 704 00:37:06,880 --> 00:37:10,200 Speaker 1: dividing by zero means you have things but nothing to 705 00:37:10,280 --> 00:37:12,920 Speaker 1: contain them, so a ratio cannot be formed. 706 00:37:13,239 --> 00:37:14,520 Speaker 2: Awesome makes sense. 707 00:37:14,360 --> 00:37:19,680 Speaker 1: Right, Yeah, As for the raising to the zero zero power. 708 00:37:20,960 --> 00:37:24,319 Speaker 1: This is one because our basis of numerology is the 709 00:37:24,400 --> 00:37:29,200 Speaker 1: number one. All things larger are functions of how many 710 00:37:29,280 --> 00:37:33,720 Speaker 1: ones it holds, and all things larger define how many 711 00:37:33,840 --> 00:37:38,920 Speaker 1: need to be combined to form a one. This, combined 712 00:37:38,960 --> 00:37:41,840 Speaker 1: with the fact that exponents don't describe a multiplication, but 713 00:37:41,960 --> 00:37:44,520 Speaker 1: rather a number of times a base measurement will be 714 00:37:44,600 --> 00:37:47,640 Speaker 1: multiplied by a factor, means that if the base measurement 715 00:37:47,880 --> 00:37:50,200 Speaker 1: is never a multiplied by the factor, you are left 716 00:37:50,239 --> 00:37:53,640 Speaker 1: with the base alone. So there you have it. It's 717 00:37:53,680 --> 00:37:56,880 Speaker 1: tempting to think of these numbers as one to the power, 718 00:37:57,320 --> 00:37:58,840 Speaker 1: but unfortunately this is wrong. 719 00:38:00,080 --> 00:38:02,600 Speaker 2: Over that again, No, I can't. 720 00:38:04,320 --> 00:38:07,800 Speaker 1: That is from Stephen, a junior software engineer. Thanks Steven, 721 00:38:07,880 --> 00:38:09,200 Speaker 1: so I will take him at his word. 722 00:38:10,040 --> 00:38:12,000 Speaker 2: Yeah, he sounds like he's got it down. 723 00:38:12,120 --> 00:38:15,560 Speaker 1: Yeah, the containers. That makes total sense to me now. Yeah, 724 00:38:16,080 --> 00:38:16,680 Speaker 1: So there you have it. 725 00:38:17,200 --> 00:38:21,320 Speaker 2: So thanks Steven, junior software engineer. We are looking forward 726 00:38:21,320 --> 00:38:24,319 Speaker 2: to you becoming a senior software engineer, likely in the 727 00:38:24,320 --> 00:38:29,520 Speaker 2: near future. From your email, and if you have some 728 00:38:29,600 --> 00:38:34,799 Speaker 2: sort of illumination about a previous podcast, doesn't matter how 729 00:38:34,800 --> 00:38:37,040 Speaker 2: old it is. We always like hearing new stuff about 730 00:38:37,040 --> 00:38:40,480 Speaker 2: old stuff. Sure, You can send it in an email 731 00:38:40,880 --> 00:38:47,759 Speaker 2: to stuff podcast at iHeartRadio dot com. Stuff you Should 732 00:38:47,840 --> 00:38:49,439 Speaker 2: Know is a production of iHeartRadio. 733 00:38:49,920 --> 00:38:53,120 Speaker 1: For more podcasts my heart Radio, visit the iHeartRadio app, 734 00:38:53,320 --> 00:39:00,680 Speaker 1: Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.