Well it’s not meant for all it’s used for. We’re culturally resistant to government ID cards (aside from driver’s licenses, passports, and social security cards, no this isn’t rational and it’s often from the same group because they fear both government and immigrants) and our social security cards were an early form of government ID. So basically you wind up with one of the only proofs of citizenship besides birth certificates or passports, and the only one that’s free, uniform, and everyone has being a number meant to be used to track your status with the government universal pension program that basically doesn’t exist anymore and very explicitly says not to use the way we constantly and primarily use it.
Is this stupid? Beyond a doubt. But it’s America as a whole being stupid not the social security administration. As far as the social security administration is concerned this is just a pension ID.
Because it’s meant to biodegrade if lost outside so your identity is harder to steal
Normal countries: “there is a picture on the ID to make it harder to use someone else’s”
USA: “it’s so flimsy no one will use it for fear of it falling apart”
Well it’s not meant for all it’s used for. We’re culturally resistant to government ID cards (aside from driver’s licenses, passports, and social security cards, no this isn’t rational and it’s often from the same group because they fear both government and immigrants) and our social security cards were an early form of government ID. So basically you wind up with one of the only proofs of citizenship besides birth certificates or passports, and the only one that’s free, uniform, and everyone has being a number meant to be used to track your status with the government universal pension program that basically doesn’t exist anymore and very explicitly says not to use the way we constantly and primarily use it.
Is this stupid? Beyond a doubt. But it’s America as a whole being stupid not the social security administration. As far as the social security administration is concerned this is just a pension ID.