Less than 70 years ago, the world was ravaged by a group of maniacs led by a madman. Tens of millions died at their hand and the world, to this day bears their scars.
In the final days and weeks of WWII, thousands of Nazis, including brutal guards and killers in the death camps, removed their uniforms put on civilian clothing and blended into the mass of refugees and displaced persons. Many found their way to the U.S. where they took up new identities, found work and relationships and re-created themselves.
Though they would do everything possible to make themselves “legitimate,” they always knew they were hunted men and women. Again, these were not common foot-soldiers or the German home guard, but people who gleefully tortured and murdered others because of fanaticism and disregard for humanity. Though the ex-Nazis became quite elderly, the Nazi-hunters were relentless in their pursuit and would eventually catch up with many of these mass murderers who had tried to legitimize themselves.
In a recent, in-depth investigation (October 21, 2014) by David Rising, Randy Herschaft and Richard Lardneri of the Associated Press, entitled: “Millions in Social Security for expelled Nazis,” we learn of a strange loophole that stretches ethics to its limits.
The loophole allows that ex-Nazis expelled from the United States, men and women who were so brutal that they were stripped of their citizenship are allowed to collect social security benefits.
Take the following case of former Auschwitz camp guard Jakob Denzinger from the article:
“In 1989, as the U.S. government prepared to strip him of his citizenship, Denzinger packed a pair of suitcases and fled to Germany. He later settled in this pleasant town on the Drava River, where he lives comfortably, courtesy of U.S. taxpayers. He collects a Social Security payment of about $1,500 each month, nearly twice the take-home pay of an average Croatian worker.
The payments flowed through a legal loophole that has given the U.S. Justice Department leverage to persuade Nazi suspects to leave. If they agreed to go, or simply fled before deportation, they could keep their Social Security, according to interviews and internal government records.”
Apparently the Justice Department’s Office of Special Investigations (OSI) used a method derogatorily called “Nazi dumping.” When they tracked down a war criminal, they would offer the criminal the deal of social security payments for life if they would leave. The amount paid out has reached the millions of dollars – and it continues as long as their beneficiaries live.
According to the article:
“Legislation that would have closed the Social Security loophole failed 15 years ago, partly due to opposition from the OSI. Since then, according to the Associated Press analysis, at least 10 Nazi suspects kept their benefits after leaving. The Social Security Administration confirmed payments to seven who are deceased. One living suspect was confirmed through an AP interview. Two others met the conditions to keep their benefits.”
Fleeing from the light
When news of this craziness was uncovered by the Associated Press, naturally politicians became enraged, the Justice Department started to review the policy and the Social Security Administration did not immediately respond to a request for comment, but they’re studying it.
Interestingly, no department wanted to speak “on the record” and no department claimed they offered Social Security payments in exchange for the criminals to quietly leave. However, the Social Security Administration did admit to not having a mechanism in place to specifically stop payments of this nature. Not surprisingly, the family of the former Auschwitz guard feels he should be entitled to every penny. After all, they argue, the money is not coming out of anyone’s pockets. However ethically, it is coming out of everyone’s pockets.
The Associated Press investigation is a brilliant piece of investigative journalism we do not have time to fully explore here – I urge you to read it. However, it again points to why there is such a high level of mistrust in government and why so many of us question the way in which government spends our tax dollars.
From my viewpoint, from an ethical viewpoint, I grow weary of nonsensical policies that waste money without accountability. I have problems with bureaucracy that keeps perpetuating itself without deeper examination. It seems as though Inspector General Offices for the various government agencies search for irregularities (which is good), but no one ever questions whether the programs are needed in and of themselves.
No matter your political orientation you must question how it came to be that war criminals continued to be paid benefits. Maybe you have an elderly WWII veteran in your family who was denied higher Social Security payments for any number of reasons. Why then, were the very criminals your relative saved us from given the right to take all of their benefits?
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