Bummer Summer Jobs Disaster

[Res Ipsa]

What’s the rate or percentage by demographic? For example x% of white, non-hispanic receive x-type of welfare. Or x-number out of 100,000 of black receive x-type of welfare.

- Doc

Dunno. But I'd think that'd be irrelevant to Ajax's point about welfare. He despises them, but he doesn't understand most of them are white. And that's not even getting into corporate welfare.

Ajax despises adults who don’t work and who receive government benefits.

[Alf'Omega]

Seems he's against any kind of welfare period, whether people work or not. He also doesn't appear to understand welfare recipients are some of the hardest working people there are, often working multiple jobs that don't pay enough to support a life, hence the need for assistance.

[ajax18]

Ajax despises adults who don’t work and who receive government benefits.

That's a pretty fair statement. But I would add that I don't despise adults who are actually incapable of doing anything at all. The number of people who are unable to work any job that exists in the economy is actually pretty small, much smaller than the number of people currently collecting disability. And I don't have a problem with people who work a minimum wage job and receive supplemental income. I have a problem with people who refuse to work at all. I have a problem with women who continue to have children with no thought as to how they are going to provide for them. And nothing is going to get done about any of this until we start making being a net taxpayer a qualification for voting.

[Alf'Omega]

So the people you despise are just a figment of your racist imagination, but
they're forever party to all that's "left" or "democrat" or "Obama." Reagan's welfare queen is a myth.

And we're still waiting for you to answer for your ignorant statements about welfare and the Obama administration.

[ajax18]

So the people you despise are just a figment of your racist imagination, but
they're forever party to all that's "left" or "democrat" or "Obama." Reagan's welfare queen is a myth.

And we're still waiting for you to answer for your ignorant statements about welfare and the Obama administration.

And it certainly doesn't matter to me whether the moochers are white or black. I also don't care for people in their 50s and 60s who think they have the right to retire at the taxpayers expense just because they are now 50 years old and don't want to go to work anymore.

[canpakes]

And it certainly doesn't matter to me whether the moochers are white or black. I also don't care for people in their 50s and 60s who think they have the right to retire at the taxpayers expense just because they are now 50 years old and don't want to go to work anymore.

Doesn’t this include a lot of firefighter and police personnel (whether covered by pension or Social Security), and ex-military?

[Alf'Omega]

So the people you despise are just a figment of your racist imagination, but
they're forever party to all that's "left" or "democrat" or "Obama." Reagan's welfare queen is a myth.

And we're still waiting for you to answer for your ignorant statements about welfare and the Obama administration.

And it certainly doesn't matter to me whether the moochers are white or black. I also don't care for people in their 50s and 60s who think they have the right to retire at the taxpayers expense just because they are now 50 years old and don't want to go to work anymore.

That doesn't make any sense. How is it at the "taxpayers expense" if someone accumulates enough wealth to live off of for the rest of their lives? Are you trying to demonstrate an extraordinary level of stupidity here or what? I think you're just envious of those who were smarter with their money than you.

[Res Ipsa]

And it certainly doesn't matter to me whether the moochers are white or black. I also don't care for people in their 50s and 60s who think they have the right to retire at the taxpayers expense just because they are now 50 years old and don't want to go to work anymore.

That doesn't make any sense. How is it at the "taxpayers expense" if someone accumulates enough wealth to live off of for the rest of their lives? Are you trying to demonstrate an extraordinary level of stupidity here or what? I think you're just envious of those who were smarter with their money than you.

I think you have that backwards. I've never seen him complain about people who retire on their own dime. He's talking about Social Security and disability.

[ajax18]

That doesn't make any sense. How is it at the "taxpayers expense" if someone accumulates enough wealth to live off of for the rest of their lives? Are you trying to demonstrate an extraordinary level of stupidity here or what? I think you're just envious of those who were smarter with their money than you.

Many of them were "smart/unethical" enough to find ways of double and triple dipping. Many get military disability checks, civilian disability checks, and even work a job.

Take a lawyer I knew back in NOLA. He was 52 and recently diagnosed with diabetes. He wasn't even insulin dependent. But it was enough to convince a judge he deserved $150k/year in own occupational disability. What people don't realize is that the taxpayer pays the first $1500 of this every month in social security tax. So what does he do with his time? He's playing in 4 tennis leagues this season, remodeling his house, free to go on extended vacations. He's free to do whatever he wants with his time and he'll never have to work another day in his life. Tell me that kind of retirement isn't above and beyond what most people could ever earn for themselves just by saving money. Even refusing to marry and have kids wouldn't allow you to save that kind of money.

[Res Ipsa]

That doesn't make any sense. How is it at the "taxpayers expense" if someone accumulates enough wealth to live off of for the rest of their lives? Are you trying to demonstrate an extraordinary level of stupidity here or what? I think you're just envious of those who were smarter with their money than you.

Many of them were "smart/unethical" enough to find ways of double and triple dipping. Many get military disability checks, civilian disability checks, and even work a job.

Take a lawyer I knew back in NOLA. He was 52 and recently diagnosed with diabetes. He wasn't even insulin dependent. But it was enough to convince a judge he deserved $150k/year in own occupational disability. What people don't realize is that the taxpayer pays the first $1500 of this every month in social security tax. So what does he do with his time? He's playing in 4 tennis leagues this season, remodeling his house, free to go on extended vacations. He's free to do whatever he wants with his time and he'll never have to work another day in his life. Tell me that kind of retirement isn't above and beyond what most people could ever earn for themselves just by saving money. Even refusing to marry and have kids wouldn't allow you to save that kind of money.

Ajax, it's impossible to evaluate your example without all the facts. I'd lay good odds that the lawyer was able to "convince a judge" with additional evidence. Unless you've got a copy of the judge's opinion, there's no way to evaluate the situation. For example, I also have diabetes. I don't have to take insulin (yet). What I do have his peripheral neuropathy. My feet are mostly numb, and my fingers started going numb last summer. If they get numb enough, I may no longer be able to keyboard. That's become an important skill in my line of work. Diabetes has all kinds of complications that can show up even though I don't need insulin (yet). Me, I'd rather work.

There will always be scammers who will prey on government programs and/or private companies. So, even if this lawyer guy has scammed the system, that doesn't mean we should abandon the system.

As for disability, one isn't either not disabled or totally disabled. Partial disability is an actual thing, even though a person may be able to work a job. It's an insurable risk, whether through the private market or government programs or both.

Finally, I certainly don't resent wounded veterans who are compensated for their disabilities. My father in law had his foot shot all to hell in Vietnam. I'm sure he was found at least partially disabled and was compensated for it. But it wasn't enough to raise his family on, so he worked. I'm not sure why you resent that.