Adam Gray protects what works

 By Frédo and Renée Martin

In an era defined by noise, manipulation, and performative politics, clarity has become a rare civic virtue. We supported Rep. Adam Gray not just for his position on Social Security, but because he demonstrates the kind of grounded leadership this moment demands — leadership rooted in competence, clarity, and principle.

Recently, the Social Security website crashed under the weight of changes introduced by Elon Musk’s so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). The Daily Beast reported that the meltdown followed a series of abrupt policy shifts and staff purges aimed at “streamlining” operations. This isn’t reform — it’s reckless experimentation on a system that millions depend on.

 Social Security’s computer systems have never been perfect, but they have always been stable. Built decades ago on a resilient COBOL infrastructure, it held because generations of public servants protected its integrity. Those same experts are now being pushed out or silenced by an administration that neither understands -- or cares to understand — what they are breaking. In fact, they are breaking it intentionally.

We’ve heard Elon Musk dismiss Social Security as a “Ponzi scheme.” That’s not just misleading — it’s contemptuous. Social Security is not a scam. It’s a contract, one we’ve paid into faithfully. People like Musk, who’ve contributed little, now seek to strip it for parts. That’s not innovation, it’s pillaging.

A dangerous mythos is being spun — an illusion of genius wrapped in tech swagger and political brute force. Strip away the Musk branding, and what remains is reckless incompetence posing as vision and willful ignorance paraded as confidence. We’re expected to applaud as Musk and his minions dismantle what has worked for generations. It’s not brilliance. It’s bluff. And the bluff is breaking everything that still holds.

 Social Security is just one example. Consider the Signal debacle: sensitive government communications — some involving classified material — were transmitted over a platform already flagged by the Pentagon as compromised. This wasn’t a slip. It was a breach of basic operational security by individuals entrusted with the nation’s secrets.

 These aren’t isolated missteps. They’re part of a pattern that endangers not just domestic programs but national security.

At some point, we must ask: Are these actors truly serving the American people or enabling foreign interests through their arrogance and neglect?

 The outcomes suggest loyalty lies elsewhere.

 We’re grateful Rep. Gray is in office. We need him — and others like him — to speak plainly. To defend the institutions that hold. To protect the public servants who still understand how systems work and why they matter. And to call out those who, whether through malice or ignorance, are weakening the foundational programs beneath us all.

 This isn’t about nostalgia. It’s about fidelity to function. About preserving the structures that safeguard ordinary people from chaos. Competence isn’t flashy. It doesn’t trend. But it’s what allows a society to survive moments like this.

 We thank Rep. Gray for standing in the gap — and for helping restore the language of leadership to something rooted in reality.

 Frédo and Renée Martin live and work in Madera County. They wrote this commentary for Valley Solutions.