The Unemployed Are Now Going On Disability I’m Sick Of Being Unemployed - A couple of strange and rather disquieting reports circulated among the Friends of Fermentation yesterday. The topic was unemployment or, more specifically, where do those people go who have stopped looking for work. Their absence is credited with distorting the unemployment rate and making it lower than most expect or believe.The reports I allude to, contended that many went on disability. In fact, they projected that nearly 25% of those not actively seeking a job had applied for, and been accepted, by disability - mostly Social Security. There recently was an ad on TV (in Pittsburgh) by scum-lawyer extrordinaire, Edgar Snyder, telling folks he could get them on the workman’s comp list—just give him a call.This is how they’re getting the unemployment numbers to show a drop. Fewer workers in the system. More unemployed dropping off the back end and giving up looking. It makes the stats look better, but the human toll is still there and getting worse. And the cost to tax payers is going up. Of course, that won’t be mentioned, unless a Republican wins in November, then January 21, unemployment will suddenly skyrocket.Jobless disability claims soar to record $200B as of January The work ethic is for suckers in the land of Obamaville.
How many? Severe depression and anxiety are real and debilitating in case you think it's a ploy against you.
IF you had bothered to read the article: "As of January, the federal government was mailing out disability checks to more than 10.5 million individuals, at a cost of record $200 billion a year, recent research from JPMorgan Chase shows." “It could be because their health really is getting worse from the stress of being out of work,” says Matthew Rutledge, a research economist at Boston College. “Or it could just be desperation — people trying to make ends meet when other safety nets just aren’t there.”
So, as a good liberal, you don't think it's at least possible that there is abuse in the system? Here are just a few anecdotal stories: "In my county (Santa Cruz, CA). psych disabilities are the single largest source of economic cash flow. Of course, in Santa Cruz, it just might be true." "I know many people receiving ‘disability’ payments..many not deserving, one in fact gets over $6,000.00 a month and brags about it and works under the table for cash as well....makes one ill...to see what is happening to this Nation..and there seems to be nothing the average person can do about it..." "His research also shows a growing number of men, particularly older, former white-collar workers, instead of the typical blue-collar ones, are applying. The big concern about the swelling ranks is that once people get on disability, they’re unlikely to give it up and go back to work." "his mother is my best friend...she worries that some one will turn him in and he will ‘loose his money’ she and I have discussed this and it has actually hurt our long time friendship... I tried to take problems to medicare and social security about cheats and un authorized charges and was told to take it up else where!!! ALMOST LAUGHED AT.. it is difficult to deal with both services..." "When the system is set up to maximize how many people are on it (Hell, they are running advertisements and offering rewards for referrals!), I wouldn’t be surprised to learn there is no one to talk to about fraud." "Even if he was turned in, they would do ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, Consider this, about HALF of The POLICE OFFICERS in California retire on a DISABILITY PENSION , and most if not all is outright FRAUDULENT, because they can, they then go right back to work as a consultant or other such job with regards to security. Their pension is now Tax Free and they are working to boot."
on a related matter......How many folks (who would rather be working full-time) have filed for Social Security retirement benefits prior to the "normal" retirement age? I'm sure BHO will fire (or re-assign) the first SS Dept. statistician who releases THAT eye-opening report.
Its true. I live in blue collar CT and the over-55 crowd are hiring disability lawyers. These lawyers don't get paid without winning and shepherd them through the process. My handyman is now on disability. He still works and complains all day about his rotator cuff and all the meds he takes for his back pain, knees and joints. I hired him because I'm in more pain than he's in. At 57 he won't ever go off disability. He's building a mountain of paper to over document everything. That's his F/T job--going to the doctors with a new malady every 3 months and building a mountain of paperwork.
But he still has a bad back/knees and joints doesn't he? If some 400lb 35 year old woman can go on disability because she can't put down the twinkies, then why shouldn't a guy who has legitimate health problems qualify? If you have health issues that didn't affect your white collar job but you lose that job, they sure as hell can effect your ability to do harder labor. You're not going to get a job stocking shelves or driving a delivery truck are you? If your physical condition prohibits you from finding a job for which you are qualified in this new economy then what's the answer?
I use the guy as a driver as well. The local taxi company is always looking for drivers. He's not unemployable. Do we reward him for refusing any kinds of retraining? It's not an easy answer. As an economic liberal, I prefer we move to a full employment/minimum income system linked to the poverty income. $11,000 for an individual. He's getting a $1,478 80% disability as a 2-year Vet. He hasn't made that kind of since money since the early 1980s at Ham Standard. He likes Obama now. Oh boy. He was a tea party type 18 months ago!
Who says he's refusing? There are so many people out of work, companies don't need to retrain anyone who isn't qualified. They will hire the youngest, fully healthy, reliable person who applies. As for his driving for you instead of the local cab company. He would proabably have to get a CDL with a passenger qualification. Why go through that if you'll pay him to drive you without having to pass driving, drug tests and deal with the DMV? I'm not attacking you, just throwing stuff out there. It's scary times, when middle aged experienced people with good work records who want to work can't even get interviews for work that needs to be done.
You are correctly pointing out that this is not a clear cut, black or white issue. However, while we may not be able to clearly define the problem, I'm sure both of us can identify fraud and abuse when we see it. Bottom line, the problem is, "it's other people's money." But unfortunately, the money was yours and mine before the Government forcibly "redistributed" it. BTW, enjoy reading opinions from the distaff side.
What's happening is simply human psychology. If you can get money from the government, and do it fairly easily... a LOT of people (a majority) are gonna do it. Especially if it's tough to get any job... even a lousy one. There have been a LOAD of stories (in most cities) where people on total disability have been video-taped working, playing golf, etc.... by journalists checking out tips by whistle-blowers. Such people are thieves... plain & simple. Toss em in jail & put it on the front page to send a message. That's the primary criticism of such (welfare) programs by conservatives. Not that there shouldn't be a safety net... but that it's (1) damn impossible to keep such programs from growing like cancer... and (2) that's there precious little (real) oversight. (like crooks in prison (fer christs sake) scamming billions from Medicare... see the 60 Minutes story). In private charities, you tend to have the people who's money IT IS, caring (a lot) how it's used. With government, it's always a series of third parties involved... people removed from any responsibility & effects. Milton Friedman had it right...
Are you saying he's getting $1500 a month for disability and that it's more than he earned at Hamilton Standard? He must have made more than 20K a year there.
I guess I don't understand the definition of "disability". Can the fellow work (i.e. earn income) or not? If you're paying him "under the table" (and it's not clear (though reasonably implied) from your posting) you could be enabling his scam. Between disability pay and steady income "under the table" a 'fella can do O.K. Add food stamps or other freebies and he can do REALLY WELL! I don't care if it's Workers' Compensation or cops or firemen going on "total disability" (then developing a new career), we need to return to the traditional definition of disability. BTW: Anytime you employ a scammer you run the risk of getting scammed by the same scammer (i.e. the guy who paints your house -has an "accident" - and turns-around and sues you).
His disability isn't tied in to his earnings history. It's based on his short Vietnam duty. That was another interesting conversation I had with him. What happens when he's 62? Does he retire and take a pay cut based on his earnings history? Nope. He has to reapply and recertifiy his 80%. The lawyers handle it. He sends them all the paperwork. and they take a cut. He figures he' making at least $650 more than he would under Social Security early retirement. I'm just confirming that this is not unique. Nothing more. There are lawyers that solicit this crowd and work up their cases.
When Milton Friedman, the archetypical conservative economist, proposed a "negative income tax" to replace the hodge-podge of programs that exist, he correctly pointed out that it costs much more to maintain the kind of bureaucracy necessary to determine who are the "deserving" and the "undeserving" than it would to allow some of the latter to cheat the system.
