Here's the Average U$ Social Security Retired-Worker Benefit Right Now

SOCIAL SECURITY IS NOT AN ENTITLEMENT THAT'S THE DEFENSE BUDGET!

Sean Williams, The Motley Fool

Sun, March 17, 2024

For more than eight decades, Social Security has been providing a financial foundation for those who could no longer do so for themselves.

Based on recently updated estimates from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, America's top retirement program is pulling 22.7 million people above the federal poverty line annually. This includes 16.5 million adults aged 65 and above. Without the guaranteed monthly payout provided by Social Security, the elderly poverty rate would nearly quadruple to 39% from 10.2% (as of 2022).

It's also a program that's vital in helping retired workers make ends meet. For more than 20 years, national pollster Gallup has been conducting annual surveys of retirees to gauge their reliance on Social Security income. Between 80% and 90% of respondents have consistently noted that their benefits account for a "major" or "minor" source of income.

But what future generations of retirees may not realize is that Social Security retired-worker benefits are quite modest.

Here's how much the average Social Security retired-worker beneficiary is bringing home each month

Although Social Security has a number of quirks and complex rules that can make understanding it a challenge at times, calculating your monthly retired-worker benefit is done using four very straightforward factors:

• Work history

• Earnings history

• Full retirement age

• Claiming age

Without delving too deeply into each category, the Social Security Administration (SSA) uses your 35 highest-earning, inflation-adjusted years of income (meaning wages and salary, but not investment income) to calculate your benefit. The pivot point that determines whether you'll receive 100% of your payout, or some percentage above or below this level, is your full retirement age, which is determined by your birth year.

The final factor -- your claiming age -- can have the biggest effect of all. Depending on when you choose to begin receiving your Social Security check, your monthly payout could be reduced by up to 30%, relative to what you'd have received at full retirement age. Or it can increase by between 24% and 32% with a later claim.

As of January 2024, the SSA's monthly published snapshot shows that the average retired-worker beneficiary was bringing home $1,909.01, or about $22,908 on an annualized basis. For added context, the federal poverty level for an individual tax filer is $15,060 in 2024.

Social Security income is only designed to replace around 40% of workers' pre-retirement earnings, which means it's imperative that future retirees get as much as they can out of the program. Thankfully, there are three relatively easy ways for future retirees to boost their benefits.

1. Consider working well past the 35-year mark

One of the smartest ways for future recipients to get the most they can out of Social Security is to work longer than 35 years.

As noted, the SSA will use your 35 highest-earning, inflation-adjusted years when calculating your monthly benefit. For every year less than 35 worked, the SSA penalizes you by averaging in a $0. If you have any hope of maximizing what you'll receive from America's top retirement program, you'll need to work at least 35 years.

As you age and gain both skill and experience, you're more likely to command a higher wage or salary -- even when adjusted for inflation. Working well into your 50s and 60s can remove lower-earning years from when you initially entered the labor force, which should ultimately result in a higher monthly benefit from Social Security.

2. Sit on your hands and be patient

Sometimes doing nothing really is the smartest move you can make. For every year you wait to take your payout, beginning at age 62 and continuing through age 69, your monthly benefit can increase by as much as 8%. This is why early filers can have their monthly payout permanently reduced by up to 30%, while those claiming at age 70 can generate 24% to 32% more per month than they would have received at full retirement age.

What's particularly interesting about playing the waiting game is that a comprehensive study validates the notion that patience pays off.

In 2019, researchers at United Income used data from the University of Michigan's Health and Retirement Study to analyze the claims of 20,000 retired-worker beneficiaries. The goal for researchers was to extrapolate these claims to determine if the individual made an "optimal" decision -- one that produced the highest lifetime income. Understand that the highest monthly and highest lifetime income may not be synonymous.

United Income's report found that actual and optimal claims were inverses of each other. Whereas most workers chose to receive their payouts prior to full retirement age, optimal claims overwhelmingly skewed to ages at or after full retirement age. In fact, age 70 would have been optimal for 57% of the claimants studied.

Although there are valid reasons to claim benefits early -- for example, a person with one or more chronic health conditions whose life expectancy may be shortened can benefit from an early claim -- statistically speaking, most future claimants are likely to be rewarded for their patience.

3. Lean on Social Security's little-known do-over clause

The third relatively easy way future retirees can potentially increase what they'll receive from Social Security is by taking advantage of an under-the-radar Social Security do-over clause known as "SSA-521" (officially, "Request for Withdrawal of Application").

SSA-521 is a request by retired-worker beneficiaries to undo their claim. If approved by the SSA, your benefit would go back to accruing at a rate of up to 8% annually until you, once again, file for benefits.

Where SSA-521 can come in handy is in instances where a retiree regrets an early filing or perhaps lands a well-paying job mere months after they begin receiving their benefit.

But keep in mind that this Social Security mulligan comes with three notable restrictions. To start with, you only have until 12 months after your benefit approval to file SSA-521. Second, this is a one-time do-over, so you won't be able to continually stop and start your benefits if you regret your claim. And third, you'll need to repay every cent in benefits received until SSA-521 is approved. This includes any benefits spouses or children may have received that were based on your earnings history.

Though not all retirees will be able to take advantage of SSA-521, it can come in handy in the right situation.

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Here's the Average Social Security Retired-Worker Benefit Right Now was originally published by The Motley Fool

Zero. That’s how much 28% of the country has saved for retirement.


Jessica Hall
Sat, March 16, 2024 

Between 25% and 35% of all demographics between the ages of 18 and 64 years old report having nothing saved for retirement, the survey found. - Getty Images

Nothing. That’s not much to fall back on in retirement.

As many as 28% of Americans have nothing saved for their retirement, 39% aren’t contributing to a retirement fund and another 30% don’t think they’ll ever be able to retire. That’s according to a new GoBankingRates survey.

Between 25% and 35% of all demographics between the ages of 18 and 64 years old report having nothing saved for retirement, the survey said.

How much is needed for a secure retirement varies by person and situation, of course. But a study from Northwestern Mutual in 2022 found that U.S. adults anticipate they will need $1.25 million to retire comfortably, while a 2023 Schroders survey put the figure at about $1.1 million.

GoBankingRates, meanwhile, found that a quarter of the 1,000 people surveyed think they can retire with less than $500,000. Another quarter believes it will take somewhere between half a million and a million dollars, while another 30% expect their retirement to cost higher in the seven figure-range.

So why aren’t people saving for retirement? Some don’t have access to retirement-savings plans, although participation is low even when the accounts are available: The Bureau of Labor Statistics says 69% of private industry workers have access to an employer-based retirement plan but only 52% participate.

Read: Robinhood launches retirement benefits for gig workers

Other obstacles include inflation, debt, as well as low financial literacy, starting saving too late, being inconsistent in making contributions, and spending on wants without seeing saving for retirement as a need, GoBankingRates said.

The study revealed that the youngest generation of adults, Generation Z, is actually getting an early jump on retirement savings. As many as 16% of 18- to 24-year-olds put 4% to 6% of their income in a tax-advantaged retirement account, more than any other demographic, GoBankingRates found. Generation Z is those born between 1997 and 2013.

Despite the overall retirement-savings shortfall, nearly one quarter of respondents (23%) think they’ll be able to retire early. Roughly another quarter (24%) anticipate retiring by 65, which is still earlier than the full retirement age of 67 for people born in 1960 or later, according to the Social Security Administration. As of 2022, the average retirement age was 61.5 years old, according to a Gallup survey.

New York to probe sputtering legal marijuana program as storefronts lag,

 black  FREE market booms

ANTHONY IZAGUIRRE
Mon, March 18, 2024 

FILE - Marijuana plants are seen at a growing facility in Washington County, N.Y., May 12, 2023. New York will evaluate its troubled recreational marijuana licensing program after lawsuits and bureaucratic stumbles severely hampered the legal market and allowed black-market sellers to flourish, Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered Monday, March 18, 2024. (AP Photo/Hans Pennink, File)

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York will evaluate its troubled recreational marijuana licensing program after lawsuits and bureaucratic stumbles severely hampered the legal market and allowed black-market sellers to flourish, Gov. Kathy Hochul ordered Monday.

The review will focus on ways the state can speed up license processing times and allow businesses to open faster, as well as a top-down assessment of the Office of Cannabis Management's structure and systems.

Hochul, a Democrat, has described the state's recreational marijuana rollout as a “ disaster." Just over 80 legal shops have opened since sales began at the end of 2022.


The state's legalization law reserved the first round of retail licenses for nonprofits and people with prior marijuana convictions. It also set up a $200 million “ social equity ” fund to help applicants open up shops, all in an effort to help those harmed by the war on drugs get a foothold of the state's marketplace.

But the permitting process was soon beset by legal challenges and the so-called equity fund struggled to get off the ground, stalling growth of the legal market.

In the meantime, unlicensed storefronts opened up all over the state, especially in New York City, with the problem becoming so pronounced that Hochul last month asked such online entities as Google and Yelp to stop listing them online.

Still, state regulators have had trouble dealing with the overwhelming volume of applications. The Office of Cannabis Management has just 32 people reviewing license applications but has received about 7,000 applications since last fall, a spokesman said.

The assessment of the program was also announced days after a top official at the cannabis agency was put on administrative leave following a report from New York Cannabis Insider that alleged the agency had selectively enforced rules to punish a marijuana processor.

The state's review will embed Jeanette Moy, the commissioner of the state's Office of General Services, and other state government officials, in the cannabis management agency for at least 30 days. The group also will come up with plans to improve how the agency functions and set performance metrics moving forward, according to a news release.

“We have built a cannabis market based on equity, and there is a lot to be proud of," said Chris Alexander, executive director of the Office of Cannabis Management. "At the same time, there is more we can do to improve OCM’s operations and we know Commissioner Moy, a proven leader in government, will help us get where we need to be."

Gov. Hochul orders ‘top-down’ review of NY's marijuana licensing process

Tim Balk, New York Daily News
Mon, March 18, 2024 


NEW YORK — New York state has launched a comprehensive review of its sluggish process for licensing cannabis shops, Gov. Kathy Hochul’s office said Monday, targeting a tortured legalization rollout that has allowed a sprawling market of unlicensed retailers to emerge across New York City.

The governor tapped Jeanette Moy, the commissioner of the state Office of General Services, to conduct the analysis. In a statement, Hochul’s office said Moy would embed with the Office of Cannabis Management for at least a month and carry out a “top-down review” focused on hastening permitting.

The state began to issue its first retail marijuana licenses in 2022. A complex process for approving permits for sellers has limited the rollout. As of this winter, the city had fewer than 40 legal cannabis retailers, according to the much-maligned Office of Cannabis Management.

At the same time, an estimated 2,500 illicit pot shops have cropped up across the five boroughs, according to Mayor Eric Adams’ office.

The unlicensed joints appear to be challenging the legal stores’ ability to take off, and many of the illicit pot shops target kids, according to officials.

The rollout of some licensed shops has been delayed by legal battles. And the state’s permitting process was initially slowed by bureaucratic red tape.

Hochul, who has presided over the bumpy legalization rollout, has acknowledged that the process has been disastrous.

She has moved to grant broader power to city authorities to weed out the illicit shops. And on Monday, she turned her focus to the permitting process.

“Today, we take the first step in revamping New York’s legal cannabis industry to ensure its long-term success,” Hochul said in a statement, expressing confidence in Moy’s ability to “jumpstart the next phase of New York’s legal cannabis market.”

Moy has served as the commissioner of the state General Services Office since 2021. In a statement, she said she looked forward to working with the leadership in the Cannabis Management Office, and to finding “ways to streamline the application process and get businesses open.”

Thailand to ban recreational marijuana by end of 2024

Ryan General
Mon, March 18, 2024


[Source]

Thailand, which decriminalized cannabis in 2022, is poised to reverse course and snuff out the recreational market by the end of the year.

Key points:

Draft legislation banning recreational cannabis use is already up for cabinet approval, aiming for full implementation by the end of 2024, reported Reuters.

Under the new measures, medical marijuana would remain legal.

Officials cite the need to protect youth from what they deem the negative impacts of cannabis.

Catch up:

Thailand became the first country in Southeast Asia to legalize the medicinal use of marijuana in 2018 and the first in Asia to allow recreational use in 2022.

The details:

Trending on NextShark: Thailand to ban recreational marijuana by end of 2024

The decriminalization fueled an economic boom in Thailand, with the cannabis sector projected to reach $1.2 billion in value next year. Cannabis-themed businesses, festivals and open cannabis use have become common in the country.

The draft law proposes fines of up to 60,000 baht ($1,670) for recreational use, while advertisement or marketing campaigns regarding such use could draw jail terms of up to a year or fines ranging as high as 100,000 baht ($2,780).

Health Minister Cholnan Srikaew emphasized the negative impact of recreational marijuana on Thai children. He noted that the proposed ban aims to regulate cannabis use more comprehensively after criticisms of hasty and fragmented regulations following its decriminalization.

Illegal cannabis shops will face closure, with the government discouraging home cultivation, while around 20,000 legally registered shops may be subject to tighter regulations.

What’s next:

The draft bill banning recreational cannabis is expected to undergo cabinet approval next month before heading to Parliament for passage before becoming law. Enforcement is slated before the year's end.

Jared Kushner's $500 million investment deal in Serbia mirrors plans Donald Trump had a decade ago

Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert
Sun, March 17, 2024 

Jared Kushner's $500 million Serbian luxury hotel deal mirrors decade-old plans Donald Trump once had for his real estate empire. Drew Angerer/Getty Images

• Jared Kushner is partnering with Serbian officials to build a luxury hotel in Belgrade, per the NYT.

• The $500 million contract mirrors plans Donald Trump had made nearly a decade ago, per the outlet.

• Kushner has in recent years stepped away from his father-in-law's inner circle.

A tentative deal has been struck between Jared Kushner, his investment firm Affinity Partners, and Serbian officials to build a luxury hotel in Belgrade. And it looks remarkably similar to decade-old plans Kushner's father-in-law, former President Donald Trump, once had, per The New York Times.

The $500 million contract, which The Times reviewed a draft of, offers Kushner a 99-year lease at no charge in exchange for his company's development of the hotel, a museum, and luxury residential units.

The development would be built at the site of the former Yugoslav Ministry of Defense headquarters in Serbia's capitol of Belgrade.

The Trump Organization previously eyed the location as a potential plot to develop into a luxury hotel, but The Times reported a deal couldn't be inked before Trump was elected president in 2016.

Despite the close ties to his wife's father's business, Kushner says he never spoke with Trump about current and former development plans in the area.

"I had no idea my father-in-law had been interested in that region, and I doubt he has any awareness of this deal we are working on," Kushner told The Times.

The draft of the new deal included a clause that offers Kushner an opportunity to take ownership of the property for free once the development is complete, the outlet reported. Kushner told The Times that the parties had reached a tentative agreement for the Serbian government to receive a 22% share of the project's profits.

Representatives for Kushner and Trump did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Business Insider.

Kushner, once a key advisor in the Trump White House, and his wife, Trump's eldest daughter Ivanka, have quietly distanced themselves from Trump's inner circle in recent years.

Bloomberg reported Kushner recently ruled out re-joining the Trump administration if his father-in-law wins his reelection bid. Similarly, Ivanka has stayed off the campaign trail, saying she's "done" with politics.

Even after distancing himself from the Trump administration, Kushner has made big money through his investment and development firms. He received $2 billion in Saudi-backed funds roughly six months after leaving the White House, and he had mixed success fundraising for his investment firm in the Persian Gulf.

Trump wants more tariffs. His earlier trade wars cost Americans $230 billion to date

Katie Lobosco, CNN
Mon, March 18, 2024 

When former President Donald Trump was in the White House, he proudly referred to himself as a “Tariff Man” – and he has no intention of retiring that self-proclaimed title if reelected.

Trump has repeatedly floated the idea of imposing a 10% tariff on every good coming into the US, as well as a tariff upward of 60% on all Chinese imports if he regains the presidency. On Saturday, during a campaign rally, he promised a “100% tariff” on cars made outside the US and warned of a “bloodbath” for the American auto industry if he doesn’t get reelected.

Starting in 2018, Trump put new tariffs of up to 25% on washing machines, solar panels, steel and aluminum, as well as many Chinese-made goods including baseball hats, luggage, bicycles, TVs and sneakers – and President Joe Biden has left most of these tariffs in place.

There could be many different reasons for imposing tariffs. Biden’s top trade official recently called them “a tool for remedying unfair trade.” But tariffs don’t bring in revenue from foreign countries, as Trump often claims. It’s American importers – not China or any other foreign country or company – that pays the tariffs.

“A tariff is just a form of a tax,” said Erica York, a senior economist and research director at the conservative-leaning Tax Foundation.

“It’s the US purchaser, the importer of those goods, that makes the physical payment to the US government,” she added.

Americans have paid more than $230 billion to date for tariffs that Trump imposed on imported solar panels, steel and aluminum and Chinese-made goods, according to US Customs and Border Protection. More than half of the duties have been collected during the Biden administration.

Despite the cost, Trump’s tariffs were a political success, according to one working paper published recently by economic researchers.

“Residents of regions more exposed to import tariffs became less likely to identify as Democrats, more likely to vote to reelect Donald Trump in 2020, and more likely to elect Republicans to Congress,” they wrote.

Many people across the political spectrum agree that China uses unfair trade practices, and they like the idea of trying to get Beijing to change its ways. Plus, Trump gave farmers – who were hit hard by retaliatory tariffs – $23 billion in direct aid payments in 2018 and 2019 to help soften the blow of trade-related losses.

The protection provided by tariffs typically comes with some trade-offs. Here’s how Trump-era trade policies have impacted the economy.

Americans pay the tariffs

When the US puts a tariff on an imported good, the cost of the tariff comes directly out of the bank account of an American importer when the foreign-made product arrives at the port.

It’s possible that some foreign manufacturers lowered their prices to stay competitive in the US market. But several studies have suggested that US companies and consumers are bearing the brunt of the tariff cost.

In a 2023 study, the US International Trade Commission said that “U.S. importers bore nearly the full cost of these tariffs.” The independent federal agency, which provides analysis to the White House and Congress, estimated that prices increased by about 1% for each 1% increase in the tariffs on steel, aluminum and Chinese-made goods.

Once the importing company pays the tariff, it can decide to eat the cost or pass all or some of it along to the buyer of its goods – whether that’s a retailer or a consumer. For that reason, it’s more difficult to determine how much of the tariff cost actually ends up being paid indirectly by American households. But one study, published in 2020, found that tariffs on washing machines raised the median price of one by about $86.

Still, Trump’s tariffs were put on a relatively small share of all the goods consumers purchase. Several studies show they only marginally contributed to US inflation that followed the Covid-19 pandemic.

More jobs were lost than created

Trump’s tariffs helped create some jobs, but even more were lost in the wake of his trade wars.

Overall, the US economy lost jobs due to the tit-for-tat tariffs that took effect during the Trump administration, according to several studies, like one from the Tax Foundation and another from the US-China Business Council, a nonprofit whose goal is trade promotion.

A study from St. Louis Federal Reserve economists provides more evidence that tariffs played a role in job losses. It showed states more exposed to US tariffs on imports from China experienced “lower increases or even decreases” in employment and output between 2018 and 2019.

Tariffs were meant to boost US manufacturers, but they lost jobs too

Trump’s tariffs were imposed, in part, to boost the US manufacturing sector – but that industry suffered a loss of jobs as well, according to at least one study.

Federal Reserve economists found a net decrease in manufacturing employment due to the tariffs in 2019. That’s mostly because goods became more expensive to US businesses and consumers, and retaliatory tariffs put on American-made goods made other US manufacturers less competitive when selling abroad.

Take this hypothetical example: Trump’s tariffs made foreign steel more expensive to US consumers – so much so, that some may switch to an American-supplier of steel. This is good for the US steel producer.

But now, US manufacturers that use steel to make their goods are likely paying a premium for it. This makes it more expensive for some American manufacturers to produce their own goods and hurts their bottom line.

“While one may view the negative welfare effects of tariffs found by other researchers to be an acceptable cost for a more robust manufacturing sector, our results suggest that the tariffs have not boosted manufacturing employment or output, even as they increased producer prices,” the Federal Reserve economists wrote.

What’s more, the jobs that were created came at a high cost. Each new job in the steel industry was expected to cost steel buyers an extra $650,000, according to an analysis from the Peterson Institute for International Economics.

Getting China to play fair

Trump used tariffs as a negotiating tactic, meant to hurt China’s economy and pressure Beijing to agree to a new deal that addresses unfair trade practices, such as intellectual property theft and forced technology transfers. Business leaders across the country, as well as lawmakers on both sides of the aisle, tend to agree that China’s trade policies need to be addressed.

Trump’s tariffs helped bring Chinese President Xi Jinping to the negotiating table. The two came to a truce in January 2020, signing what’s known as the Phase One agreement. It reduced the rate of some of the tariffs, and China agreed to increase its purchases of US goods and agricultural products – setting a target of buying $200 billion more than it did before the trade war began.

But China fell well short of that commitment – which the Biden administration has suggested is one of the reasons it has kept tariffs on Chinese-made goods in place.

While the text of the agreement included paragraphs that addressed Chinese intellectual property theft, it ultimately had no meaningful effect, said Derek Scissors, an economist and senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, a right-leaning think tank.

“They did not have a monitoring mechanism, which is the absolutely critical part of IP if you want to have a deal with the Chinese. They didn’t even try,” Scissors said.

A phase two agreement was never reached between the US and China under either the Trump or Biden administrations. In September, the two countries launched an Economic Working Group and a Financial Working Group that bring Washington and Beijing officials together for regularly scheduled meetings to discuss their economies.

Opinion

Adult MAGA rage is making schools more dangerous for students

Amanda Marcotte

SALON
Mon, March 18, 2024 

Last week saw national headlines regarding two tragic stories that illustrate how MAGA radicalization of adults endangers kids in school. First, a medical examiner reported that Nex Benedict, the non-binary Oklahoma 10th-grader who passed away recently after enduring a beating in a school bathroom, apparently died by suicide. Then, James Crumbley, the father of Michigan school shooter Ethan Crumbley, was convicted of involuntary manslaughter for providing his disturbed son with a gun. The boy's mother, Jennifer Crumbley, was convicted of the same crime in February.

What links these stories is that they are both case studies in how the hatreds and obsessions of MAGA adults are trickling down into the lives of children, and causing real harm and even death.

The Crumbleys faced such unusual charges because they gave their son access to guns mere days before the 2021 shooting, despite knowing he was articulating violent fantasies. One could guess right-wing politics were a factor, but there's no need to speculate. In 2016, Jennifer Crumbley wrote a gushing open letter praising Donald Trump as a man of "sincerity, and humility" who she trusted with "my son's future." She claimed children of immigrants get "free tutors, free tablets from our Government," while her son supposedly gets nothing.

Benedict died in the wake of a growing crescendo of right-wing hysterics demonizing LGBTQ students and teachers as "groomers" and accusing them of being a threat to other students. In Oklahoma, the far-right Republican state superintendent, Ryan Walters, has been especially aggressive on culture war issues, attacking LGBTQ people and calling for book bans. In an especially trollish move, Walters recently hired Chaya Raichik, who runs the infamous "Libs of TikTok" Twitter account, to be on the state's library committee. Raichick's only "experience" in education is targeting LGBTQ teachers and allies with her account, knowing bomb threats and harassment usually follow. Benedict was beaten up in a girls' bathroom, after being required by Oklahoma state law to use a restroom based on gender assigned at birth, not the one they live as.

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Raichik, Walters, and other MAGA Republicans are scrambling to deny any link between Benedict getting beaten up in a bathroom and a suicide that literally happened the next day. Benedict's family disagrees, however, noting the "severity of the assault" as shown by the autopsy. President Joe Biden released a statement declaring, "no one should face the bullying that Nex did" and they "should still be here with us today." Walters, in response to the criticism, leveled baseless accusations implying LGBTQ people are pedophiles.

This doubling down on the MAGA vitriol that is linked to school violence is not unique to Walters, but swiftly becoming endemic to the Republican Party. That's evident in the growing popularity of Raichik as a conservative leader, even though she regularly proves she is incapable of coherent sentences when asked to explain what she believes. Even more determinative, from a pure numbers perspective, was the North Carolina primary this month. Republicans nominated far-right activist Michele Morrow for state superintendent, despite — or because of — her history of shockingly violent rhetoric. Unlike the current Republican incumbent, Catherine Truitt, Morrow has no experience in education. On the contrary, Morrow hates public schools, calling them "socialism centers" and "indoctrination centers" and homeschooling her kids instead. But, in a sign of how radical the GOP has become, this is the least incendiary aspect of Morrow's campaign. As CNN reported, Morrow has a long-standing habit of calling for the violent deaths of Democrats or anyone she perceives as "liberal."

In other comments on social media between 2019 and 2021 reviewed by CNN’s KFile, Morrow made disturbing suggestions about executing prominent Democrats for treason, including Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar, North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper, former New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, Hillary Clinton, Sen. Chuck Schumer and other prominent people such as Anthony Fauci and Bill Gates.

She wants Obama to be killed by "firing squad," and called for it to be aired on "Pay Per View." She also longed for Obama to be executed by electric chair. In response to President Joe Biden asking Americans to temporarily wear a mask to prevent the spread of COVID-19, Morrow wrote, "KILL all TRAITORS!!!" She also called for the imprisonment of Georgia's Republican Gov. Brian Kemp for refusing to help Donald Trump steal the 2020 election.

On Wednesday, the Washington Post reported, "School hate crimes targeting LGBTQ+ people have sharply risen in recent years, climbing fastest in states that have passed laws restricting LGBTQ student rights and education." Overall, the annual reported hate crimes doubled from what they were just a few years ago. In the "states with restrictive laws, the number of hate crimes on K-12 campuses has more than quadrupled" since Raichik and her Republican cronies in states like Florida and Oklahoma got to work.

In the wake of Benedict's death, we're hearing a lot of Republicans, even the most rabidly MAGA ones, claim they oppose violence in schools, even against queer kids. Actions like elevating Morrow, Raichik and Walters say otherwise. At this point, it's almost banal to point out that the Republicans who claim to be "protecting" kids do not actually care how many children are hurt — or killed — because of their cynical efforts to generate right-wing panics and culture wars. But it's crucial nonetheless to keep talking about this.

That the MAGA movement stokes violence hardly needs arguing, as evidenced by January 6. It was inevitable that some of that ugliness would trickle down from adults to kids. But, as the nomination of Morrow shows, it's even worse than that. For years now, through "don't say gay" laws and groups like Moms for Liberty, the MAGA movement has been actively trying to remake America's schools in their own image. Where MAGA goes, violence follows. Ignore the glib denials of Republican leaders about school violence. Judge them by what they do — and who they support going into the 2024 election.