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Going to the Top Is the Wrong Way

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Going to the Top Is the Wrong Way
A sign outside of the Social Security Administration's headquarters in Woodlawn, Md., on May 4, 2015. Mark Van Scyoc/Shutterstock
Tom Margenau
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Let’s say you own a Honda Civic and you’ve got a problem with it. Maybe it leaks oil, or maybe it has trouble starting. Would you go to Honda’s headquarters in Minato City, Japan, to get it fixed? Of course not. You'd go to your local Honda dealer.

Or maybe you’ve got a Maytag washing machine that’s on the fritz. Would you contact Maytag’s headquarters in Benton Harbor, Michigan, for repairs? No, you wouldn’t. You would find a local appliance repair shop and have them look at it.

Tom Margenau
Tom Margenau
Author
Tom Margenau worked for 32 years in a variety of positions for the Social Security Administration before retiring in 2005. He has served as the director of SSA’s public information office, the chief editor of more than 100 SSA publications, a deputy press officer and spokesman, and a speechwriter for the commissioner of Social Security. For 12 years, he also wrote Social Security columns for local newspapers, and recently published the book “Social Security: Simple and Smart.” If you have a Social Security question, contact him at [email protected]
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