Deception #412
By Hank Silverberg
We are in an era of deception. With AI, computer fraud and politicians who can't seem to talk about the reality right in front of them, it is hard for anyone to know the truth about anything anymore.
Is the information in that campaign ad true? Probably not. It's propaganda. Some truth, some exaggeration, some fallacies.
Is that person you have been talking to online real?Unless it's an old friend, there's a good chance they are lying, fake, an AI bot, an imposter or a crook.
As we get ready to count the votes on Tuesday (more likely into Wednesday or longer), it's going to be hard to avoid fake scenarios--those presented by losing candidates shouting voter fraud, those created by poor reporting by the media which unfortunately is getting worse, or disinformation from partisan cable networks like Fox or OAN.
The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, has done several reports on voter fraud in the United States. According to their latest report in 2025, there have only been 1,619 actual cases of voter fraud in the last 40 years. Hundreds of millions of votes were cast during that period. You can see their report in this link https://electionfraud.heritage.org/
So, when you hear the "fraud" comments that will definitely come from the Republican side if they lose big, remember that voter fraud in the United States is pretty much non-existent.
Voters may also be a bit apprehensive this year because of all that talk about federal police or troops at the polls.
As of Sunday, November 1st, 53,300,362 Americans have voted early in the midterms with more than 29.5 million of them voting in person.
That's much more than the 44 million who voted early four years ago in the last midterm election.
If you are not among those who voted early, the , most important thing on your agenda this week is to get to the polls and vote! The bigger the count, and hopefully the bigger the blue tsunami, the harder it will be for any fraud claim to float, even though you can expect lawsuits anyway. My advice? Don't believe everything you hear, seek out several news sources for information, stay calm and be ready to react when and if all hell breaks loose with politicians who can't accept defeat.
https://election.lab.ufl.edu/early-vote/2026-early-voting/
News You May Have Missed!
Social Security Cuts?
About 72 million Social Security recipients will be getting a 3.6% hike in their benefits starting in January 2027, and while that might help a bit now, it does not give the nation's senior citizens any comfort because of some long-term news. CNBC is reporting that the Social Security Trust Fund continues to be drained at an alarming rate, and unless Congress does something to shore it up, seniors could face cuts as high as 22% in just six years.
The Congressional Budget Office says that might
The senators who will be elected on Tuesday will still be in office when this happens, and yet this issue hasn't gotten much traction in the election campaign.
Congress often moves slowly until they are faced with a drastic deadline, and the Bipartisan Policy Center, a public policy think tank, is promoting some bipartisan cooperation on this issue.
But it's more than just seniors who will be affected. In 2023 for example, Social Security benefits generated about $2.6 trillian in economic activity that supported 12 million jobs. A 22% cut could reduce the gross domestic product by hundreds of billions of dollars according to the National Institute on Retirement Security. And the Mercatus Center at George Mason University published a June report which said the bond market could be strained by the cuts since the trust fund is tied to special issue U.S. treasury bonds.
In all, unless Congress acts soon to fix the trust fund, over 100 million Americans could be in real financial trouble in 2032.
Mars Crew Comes Home!
NASA's Mars crew has come home, sort of. Four people who have spent the last 378 days pretending to be on Mars inside a 1,700 square-foot habitat in Houston are finally able to walk outside.
 |
| (Crew Quarters in the Habitat, NASA photo) |
The habitat had private crew quarters, a kitchen, medical facilities and recreation areas along with crop growing areas and two bathrooms.
NASA plans to send humans to Mars in the late 2030's.
Dumbest Foodfight Of The Week !
Former President Barak Obama and the current President got into a food fight this week over something really dumb.
Mr. Obama, in a humorous effort to criticize Mr. Trump's White House renovations, said:
"What's up with the gold? I mean, he's got the White House looking like Saddam Hussein opened a Cheesecake Factory!"
You would think Trump might be upset about the Saddam Hussein reference. But he said this:
"Obama said this isn't a Cheesecake Factory, can you believe it? It is a very successful company. He doesn't like successful companies."
And the public? They are more concerned about the price of bread rather than the price of cheesecake, and most of us were wondering why the debate doesn't focus on something more important at this point.
(Your comments and suggestions are welcome)
My recent book "The Campaign" can be purchased at the links below. Or you can buy a copy by emailing me at: HankSilverberg@gmail.com for instructions on how to get a copy at a reduced price and with my signature)
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-campaign-hank-silverberg/1126429796
My NEWEST book is now available. It is designed for use in Public Speaking and entry level communications classes.
Comments
Post a Comment
Reactive comments are welcome. Please keep it civil. Any direct attack on the blogger or those who post is not welcome and will be deleted.