Barack Obama recently told America that nobody really builds anything on their own, and that someone helped along the way. And we think he makes a good point - because the amount of hopelessness, joblessness, and government dependence in this country has now been built to historic highs, and the "someone" who helped make all that happen is Barack Obama.
As a case in point, for the past three months in a row more Americans are going on disability rolls than are finding jobs. In the most recent month for which there is data, over a quarter million Americans were newly added to the disability rolls...although after the past 3 years, their injuries are very unlikely to be of the "on the job" variety.
Or if not injured, perhaps these people have fallen ill due to the continuing effects of stress. Which we can definitely sympathize with - the economy is in the dumper, there are no jobs to be found (and over a million fewer jobs than when Obama took office), the Democrats are now threatening to raise taxes on every American, and our muttonhead of a president looks at all of this mess and declares "the private sector is doing fine."
See? Your stress levels are going up already!
Of course, it's always possible that some of the many applicants for disability money are neither injured nor ill, but are simply successful frauds.
Because, like the president said, even fraud can't be truly successful without the help of the government.
The doctor says there's a lot of it going around.
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31 comments:
I wonder how many of those with new-found disabilities are public sector drones?
I also wonder how many are unionised drones?
@ Coon Tasty:
Good point and a valid question. I wonder if we will ever know. It appears that a sizable chunk of the SCOAMF's administration is engaged in hiding the truth. Unfortunately, far too many Americans don't even seem to be interested in the truth. How many of them know that the unemployment rate is largely due to the reduction in the size of the universe of jobs Stilton mentioned?
I don't know if Mitt Romney can lead us out of this darkness, but I do know that, without a change at the top, the darkness will prevail. (Yeah, I know...racist)
Taking into consideration that the Govt. does help these frauds...it is entirely likely that no one is looking into the applications and some dead doctor is signing off on the disability while a lawyer is making out by filing the "correct" forms. Utterly amazing.
Someone should point out to Øbama and the democratic socialists that the PREFERRED method of expanding the middle class is to bring additional people up from poverty; definitely not to bring them down from success which appears to be the intent of their current (normal) course of action. And, unless Romney is one hell of a chameleon, he can't make the current situation any worse. A simple reining in of the taxes will build the economy (of course, the dipshitocrats and the media will proclaim "See? Øbama's policies were finally taking effect! You didn't give him a chance!" Just as they claimed the booming economy after Reagan was all Clinton's doing. And the moronic minions of the media will buy every syllable...
Remember, too, that disability means no longer being counted on the unemployment rolls. It's a win-win (so to speak) for this Administration. It makes the unemployment numbers look better than they are and pads the dependency on government, potentially ensuring more Dem voters.
Wow, now I'm depressed :(
Take it and run,
Listening now to a live interview with Tim Geithner. He just said that America is waiting for Congress to really fix the economy. Never mind the fact that this is exactly what they've been trying to do now for 6 years!
When Ayn Rand wrote Atlas Shrugged in the '50s, even she was unable to fathom the absurd dislocations that would be created by the social welfare apparatus that evolved in subsequent decades. The idea that more people would be going on disability than getting jobs would probably caused her brain to self-immolate as well.
Add to this absurdity the news that the Obama Administration is systematically dismantling the landmark welfare reform law of 1996. Once again, welfare recipients can count activities such as hula dancing, attending Weight Watchers, and bed rest as "work".
More jobs "saved or created".
Excuse me, I feel like I need some "bed rest", or as Democrats refer to it, "work".
I can't wait until America finds it's dignity again. That's the 'change' I 'hope' for. Can we just have one big societal purge and rid ourselves of the dregs? Isn't there another country we could unload these people onto? Hmm...Mexico? We could keep all of their hardworking folks and send them our welfare bums.
Red: Excellent idea - perhaps a ploy that advertises the availability of government supplied 'free stuff' to your heart's desire - "Come on down and get your FAIR SHARE while it lasts! But hurry! Supplies are limited!". We may need to endure some effort and expense in order to make the docked garbage scow look like a Wal-Mart for as long as it takes to fill it to capacity, at which point we then batten down the hatches and send it off to parts unknown, replacing it with another empty ship. Like the bottle says; lather, rinse and repeat until the scum has been eliminated.
@Red, Mike Porter: Not Mexico - they have better laws around immigrants than we do. Greece. Or France. And instead of Walmart, you'll need to make it look like a welfare office...
@Readers- Excellent comments this morning! No need for me to go beat by beat down the list to add much of anything, because you've already done a great job of bringing up the salient points and building off of other comments. Though I will amplify Ricko from Georgia's point that I think it's highly unlikely that the government even wants to identify or eliminate fraud. When you look at how much effort is going into adding people to the food stamp rolls whether they need the benefits or not, it's clear that the actual goal is to siphon as much money from taxpayers to nontaxpayers as possible. Fraud is just another way to do it.
It's no accident that they now register voters at welfare offices.
John - hadn't heard that, if true that's just TOTALLY Eph-Tup (my FAVORITE Egyptian). Hell, they should be DE-registering welfare recipients. In addition to drug testing them. and (reversibly) sterilizing them. (ohh, more medical jobs already!)
Mike Porter - it's been done, and done well
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Marching_Morons
Highly recommended...
As for 'public assistance' (Welfare, unemployment, disability, what ever) there are basically 3 types of people - those who CAN not take care of themselves, those who WILL not, and those who are temporarily up the creek. For the latter, we have benefit system similar to current, Unemployment, welfare, what ever, to run for a time (6 / 12 / 36 mo, what ever) at that point they go to "The Public"
Housed in barracks, minimal privacy / personal stuff (to keep theft down - if no one has anything, no one will steal anything, no?) communal dining hall (cheapest, most efficient way to feed lotsa folks) uniform grey jumpsuit issued. People assigned to work details (pick trash, scrub graffiti, plant flowers, what ever) during day, opportunity for improvement (ie classes) in evening.
Describing this, one person commented "oh, that's HORRIBLE! NO ONE would WANT to live like that!"
"Exactly"
Those who ARE able to care for them selves will be highly motivated to DO so.
My quick little ATM stop this morning turned into a 20-minute event because a "fellow ATM-er" and I had engaged in small talk about, of course, the lousy economy. It used to be the weather, but now it's the lousy economy. Anyway, he talked about his mother, a bright, hard-working woman with a sixth-grade education from a small coal town, who raised a happy and successful family on her own. I told him about my father, who possessed more wisdom in his little finger than most people could ever dream of possessing (certainly no one from this administration possesses an ounce), who was embarrassed that as the oldest son he had to drop out of high school to support his mother and siblings after his father's death, and yet with no diploma he was a strong role model to family, friends, and community members throughout his life. No welfare, no food stamps; they made their way with true grit and pride. We lamented at the slothfulness of society today, and parted ways, proud of what we had, depressed at the situation surrounding us now, longing for America as it used to be.
@Pete(Detroit), that all happened during the Clinton years. They called it the "Motor Voter" bill, since they wanted people to think it was about convenience. But what it really should have been called is the "Welfare Voter" bill, as it also required registration at state welfare offices. A bit of trivia, it was the child of radical leftist Frances Fox Piven.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Voter_Registration_Act_of_1993
And I agree. Since the federal government is mostly a wealth transfer mechanism, people who are dependents of the state should not be able to vote for the taking wealth from others. That is an idea that the founding fathers would have found repugnant.
I just heard Mitt Romney's responses to obama's crap (using a little "o" for a little man). I was pretty impressed! He sounded passionate and very animated, and his message was spot on.
I know the MSM is still chiseling every word out of obama's mouth on to stone tablets, but I sort of hope the dumbass keeps it up because it seems to have lit Romney's pilot light! The further along we get, the more desperate obama sounds. He is going to start saying some really crazy crap in the coming months. Your average dyed in the wool obama scrotum lickers won't be swayed, but I'd bet there are a lot of independents and "conservative" Democrats out there who are already scratching their heads.
@John the Econ- And isn't that a meaningful sign?
@pete(Detroit)- Good post. As some wise person observed, our nation should provide a safety net - not a hammock.
@CT Yankee- Great story. And there are a lot of people (probably all of a similar age bracket) who share your feelings of pride, depression, and longing. I know I do.
@John the Econ- I, too, feel like people should be on the voter rolls or the government assistance rolls, but not both.
@Colby- I'm hoping Mitt continues to be passionate about all of this. It's important that people realize that one of the reasons the economy sucks and jobs are disappearing is that Obama has no idea how either businesses or the economy works. Even worse - he is well-versed in the failed doctrine of Socialism.
Stilton,
I seldom find myself in a position where I disagree with you, but... I believe obama absolutely knows how business and capitalism work; he just doesn't like it because it empowers other people.
@Colby- Heck, we still don't actually disagree. Capitalism is so easy to understand that a third grader could learn the basics in an hour or two, so I'm pretty sure Barry has an understanding of it. But that being said, I think Romney will have better luck campaigning on the notion that Obama is an economic moron (highly plausible) rather than a flat out anti-capitalist Socialist (which is true, but harder for the great unwashed to swallow since the MSM has never mentioned it).
Disability and Unemployment programs are NOT WORKING as they were intended to work, and it makes me mad to discuss it, so I'll refrain....
I agree that Barry has an understanding of capitalism, in a way. However, another facet involved, I think, is some sort of brainwashing he evidently had that capitalism is some sort of "white empowerment" that is "unfair". He is extremely racist and generally speaking, racists dislike capitalism because its the most "fair" system in the world.
"generally speaking, racists dislike capitalism because its the most "fair" system in the world."
WORD!!!!
@Suzy- Wow, if I refrained from talking about things that make me mad, this site would be nonexistent! Although we could still all gather for good fun over at Johnny Optimism.
And echoing Pete(Detroit), you make a GREAT point when you say that "racists dislike capitalism because it's the most fair system in the world." Yes, yes, yes! So of course I'm also agreeing with your supposition that Barry's antagonism towards capitalism is simply another aspect of his antagonism toward white people. Or, digging a bit deeper into his psyche, his hatred of his own white half.
I'm not blowing smoke or being glib with that statement; I think that self-hatred and racial resentment is what defines the very heart of Barack Obama.
OK and again we touch on another sore subject for me. I dislike the way so many people use and abuse the system. But for all the posters on this site, NOT EVERYONE ON DISABILITY IS A LEECH. I get really fired up when I see posts such as Colby's because I am on disability because of End Stage Renal Disease. I go to dialysis 3 times a week and am trying to get my own business going so that I can get off of disability. But because I have a permanent and documented medical condition I should be treated as a second class citizen or as a prisoner? It's bad enough living with such a limited income and the only reason I live as well as I do...in a 7 X 12 room, with so many luxuries...I have internet access and pretty much nothing else is because my family has helped me through everything. But I have lost everything since I got sick...no more new Truck, nice house, toys, trips, even my ex-fiancee and step kids are gone. SO before you keep berating and lumping everyone that is on disability into the same group maybe you should come live my life for a week...I know I would gladly trade with any of you and go back to having a normal life even if for just a short period of time. Come to the clinic with me and have 2 15 gauge needles jammed into your leg for four hours at a time while the repeatedly drain your blood out filter it and pump it back into your body. And then follow me around while I am going to shows every weekend trying to get a business off the ground before you pretend to know what everyone on Disability is about.
You're right @Dave David Schmoyer on Facebook; not everybody on disability is a leech. That fact is what makes the Democrats agenda here even more heinous; sucking resources away from people who legitimately need them to sell to others for their votes.
@Dave David Schmoyer- Before I go any farther, let me emphasize your very important and absolutely valid point: NOT EVERYONE ON DISABILITY IS A LEECH! I certainly didn't mean to imply otherwise, and thanks to the miracle of hindsight - and your reminder - I should have included a paragraph in today's commentary not only emphasizing that point, but expressing my outrage over the fact that when fraud is allowed to run rampant, then it's the people who honestly need help that are going to be the first ones hurt as resources are spread too thin.
Doing a quick review of today's comments, I didn't see anything in Colby's remarks that seemed to lump everyone who is on disability together - but that doesn't matter. Your point is 100% valid...and I doubt that anyone here is going to disagree.
There's no question that there are people (sadly, too many people) who need and deserve society's help - whether it's in the form of disability payments, unemployment, food stamps, healthcare or other services. It is a mark of our compassion in this country that we take for granted that these kinds of programs should exist.
But who is it, then, that pees in the punchbowl? The backlash against social safety-net programs doesn't come from people who are greedy, hardhearted bastards. Rather, it comes from people who have seen with their own eyes too much fraud and abuse, and a government (especially, but not limited to, the Left) which encourages such abuse. And again, it is those who most need and deserve help who get caught in the middle. And, like so much these days, that pisses the hell out of me.
Please know that I'm genuinely sorry about your health issues, and BOY do I applaud your efforts in going out there and trying to get a business started in this environment. You're showing the kind of courage and initiative that this country needs a lot more of.
@John the Econ- Amen.
@ Mike Porter and Emmentaler: Instead of a Welfare office, perhaps a polling station...? "lather rinse repeat"...PURGE! lol
DaveDavid, well said. "Not everybody... is a leech"
Up until recently, you could have convinced me that nearly NO one was on disability that didn't deserve it. Then we started adding more people every month to the disability rolls than the employment rolls. I have NO doubt that it's barely adequate for folks like you who need it, and I wouldn't mind seeing the scammers permanently "disabled" as it were - not only are they stealing your aid, they're breathing my air...
Best wishes on your new business!
Let me apologize first to Colby I got two posts confused when I was typing my rant....actually it was Pete(Detroit) and his comments about "The Public" that I was referring to.....so I am sorry Colby it was a mistake on my part and I put in the wrong name.
Second of all I don understand that most people are upset about the fraud and corruption in the programs but my point was that just because there are a bunch of people cheating the system doesn't mean that everyone on some type of assistance is a cheat. ANd Pete(Detroit) I can tell you that disability fraud has been an ongoing problem since the program was devised. I know of a person in upstate PA that is on disability because he is addicted to caffeine and nicotine.....I'm not kidding that is what his disability is...or back in the 90's I knew a college girl that was on disability and having her college tuition paid for because she was "sad" for someone suffering from severe depression she sure was always in such an upbeat mood and always on the go. I could go on and on siting cases of what to me is clearly fraud in the disability system.
There have always been cheats and frauds....it's just that between law firms that now specialize in finding some loophole to get you on disability and the push to get everyone possible on entitlement by the left it has become a much bigger problem.
@Dave David Schmoyer- Glad you're back! I looked for you on Facebook but couldn't find you (or more accurately, couldn't pick you out from the other David Schmoyers out there).
Re-reading the post about "The Public" (a hypothetical group living facility) in light of your situation, I do wince. And maybe I unintentionally added fuel to the fire by saying that such programs should provide safety nets rather than hammocks. It's a sentiment I strongly believe, but I want to be really clear that your case (and that of many others) is definitely not of the "hammock" variety. Although I think your "nicotine and caffeine" addict would certainly fill the bill. (Bangs head on desk)
Your summation is absolutely correct - there has always been fraud (and I'm afraid there always will be)...but the fraudsters are now bolder and have more help. They victimize and steal from society's most vulnerable, and they (and only they) should be dealt with in the strongest ways possible.
Dave David - Sorry you took it personally, tho I can sure see why. However, that being said - it appears you're getting enough 'assistance' to keep you alive, you think the situation sucks, and you're busting hump to improve things for yourself.
Model citizen, it seems to me!
And yes, I'm sure that fraud and abuse have always been with us, but the exponential growth of same, with 'official approval' (see also food stamps) is disgusting.
@Pete(Detroit)- One possibly final word on this. The reason I introduced fraud into this discussion is because the escalating number of disability claims seems to have a direct relationship to joblessness. And I think the likelihood is that some of those new disability claims come from people who just don't see another way to put bread on the table or keep a roof over their heads.
To combat that mindset, we need to do everything possible to restore the economy to healthy job-creating status. And step one is to fire Barack Obama, and scrap his "take food stamps whether you need them or not" initiatives.
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