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Warner News Inc.Your Social Security (ca. 1940s)

How the system works.


This movie is part of the collection: Prelinger Archives

Producer: Warner News Inc.
Sponsor: U.S. Federal Security Agency
Audio/Visual: Sd, B&W
Keywords: New Deal: Social Security

Creative Commons license: Public Domain

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Reviewer: XDelusion - - June 27, 2006
Subject: U.S. Propaganda... back from the past.
This film is really for anyone who is familiar with the origins of Corporate Personhood, the F.E.D. and Social Security. It is these people who will see the irony in this video.
I mean just look at the machines that are organizing all the "social security" information on us! We are fighting the Nazi's, and we had just busted IBM for making the machines that tell the Nazi's what Jews are to be killed, and which are healthy enough for slave labour, and here we are using those very same machines in America for "Social Security". Does nobody see this but me?!?! Social Security was began with the daughter of the Dehomag D11!!!
For those of you who are have denied all but a High School or Television history of the before mentioned aspects of the U.S., then I'm sure you will see this video as merely a blast from the past.

I would highly suggest at least reading Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States before watching this film. It (and many many other forms of source material) can really help bring the whole Capitalist Conspiracy to light.

You see the whole trick is to get people to foster more government dependance, then in turn separate the people from the government...

...this trick began in America's early days, and soon grew into the Corporate Empire known as the U.S., unfortunatly the Daughters of Celluloid still have us all entranced and we are unable to remember a time when people took care of there own, and were night led into cave after cave by that big bad wolf known as the N.W.O.
----------------------------------------------
"Today, America would be outraged if U.N.troops entered Los Angeles to restore order. Tomorrow they will be grateful! This is especially true if they were told that there were an outside threat from beyond, whether real or promulgated, that threatened our very existence. It is then that all peoples of the world will plead to deliver them from this evil. The one thing every man fears is the unknown. When presented with this scenario, individual rights will be willingly relinquished for the guarantee of their well-being granted to them by the World Government."

Dr. Henry Kissinger, Bilderberger Conference, Evlans , France, 1991

Since I entered politics, I have chiefly had men's views confided to me privately. Some of the biggest men in the United States, in the field of commerce and manufacture, are afraid of something. They know that there is a power somewhere so organized, so subtle, so watchful, so interlocked, so complete, so pervasive, that they better not speak above their breath when they speak in condemnation of it.

Woodrow Wilson, the New Freedom (1913)

Reviewer: Spuzz - - October 30, 2005
Subject: AmericaÃÂÃÂs Secuirity Blanket
AmericaÃÂÃÂs Social secuirity plan is discussed, from itÃÂÃÂs origins, (Hey! ItÃÂÃÂs FDR!) to present day (Hey! ItÃÂÃÂs Harry S. Truman!). Of course, this being a gummint film, all is fine and dandy with the program, and maybe the program DID run fine back in ÃÂÃÂthose daysÃÂÃÂ. I wouldnÃÂÃÂt know, because A) I wasnÃÂÃÂt around at the time and B) IÃÂÃÂm a Canucklehead. Anyways, everyone wants Social Secuirity! It was interesting to note that people applied for Social Insurance immediately after getting a job. Like it was THEIR responsibility, and not a thing we take for granted nowadays when itÃÂÃÂs automatically deducted. Not overly great, a little dry, but fun nevertheless.

Reviewer: Wilford B. Wolf - - July 28, 2005
Subject: SSN
Circa 1952 (with a new front piece added in 1953) film explaining not only how Social Security works, but used to publicize the expansion of the program. At times, the precise context of the film is hard to figure out. For example, the explaination of how payments are gathered and paid out clearly assumes only male workers. However, later on, a farm hand and a housemaid are also shown applying for benefits. My guess is this film was meant to be shown as part of the newsreels.

The primary purpose of this film is to publicize the changes signed into law in 1950 and took affect January 1951 that added farm workers, domestic workers, the self-employed, and most state and local government workers to the program. In conjunction with this promotion, this film also explained how the program works and urged more people to get Social Security cards. One point is that is repeatedly emphasized (and seems to get lost in the current debate over Social Security reform) is how Social Security is a government run insurance program and (in theory) you get the money back that you pay into the system. The other point that is repeated is benefits can be drawn at 65 if retired, 75 if still working, or by a benefitcary if you die before 65. The adding of those self employed or employed under a small employer (such as a farm or a household) was a big deal at the time, and the film tries to downplay the complexity of applying for and making contributions. At the same time, the film also urges workers to make sure that their employers are following the correct rules. Giving all the people, not only Social Security field office workers, but also clients, full names, it seems to be a ploy make this complex and potentially overbearing institution approachable. The same goes for the booming if affiable narrator.

In terms of footage, there is some interesting things here. A speech by Franklin D. Roosevelt when he signed Social Security into law in 1935 is presented here, as well a brief shot of Harry S Truman signing a bill in 1950. Lot of shots of people holding old style paper Social Security cards, and people working in offices. The shots of the old style sorting equipment is pretty interesting, especially since the basic form really hasn't changed that much (though the adding of computers has added functionality).

Shotlist

Explains how SS, survivors' insurance and other benefit systems work, focuses on the helpful SS workers, strongly encourages workers to file for their SS cards; also shows some of the inner workings of the giant system

[we are told by the narrator that the cost of Social Security is one and a half percent of your salary]

Stock shots: Social Security card, Social Security Claims worker

Old people looking hopeless; Franklin Roosevelt signing Social Security Act; Harry Truman: signing 1950 Act; old people puttering around the house, happily; animation of old people also mailman; widows and orphans

montage of street scenes and many kinds of jobs; construction jobs; house painting;
grocery stores; farmworker; household worker; good shots: typing; switchboard operator;

Candler Building in Baltimore MD (HQ of Social Security)

Excellent footage of mechanized bookkeeping; checkwriting, precursors to computerization.
enormous paper stacks of records; bookkeeping; perforated cards for computers; women using calculators in large pools including some African-Americans; envelope stuffing machines;

woman with rolling pin; sign: Home for the Aged
CU application for SS card



unemployment Social Security U.S. Social Security Administration (sponsor) Social Security Administration (U.S.) Pensions Social welfare Economics Government (U.S.) Civics