Heinlein, Hugos, and Hogwash

If you are a fan of science fiction, you know how shocking that statement is. If you are not a science fiction fan, I salute you for having better things to do with your time than read stories about space princesses being rescued from bug-eyed monsters by stalwart and clean-limbed fighting men of Virginia; but please let me explain why this is shocking.

I think we should really look at who is collecting disability instead of working, as well.

I'm a strong believer that anyone abusing the disability system needs to be tried, and if convicted, sent to a half-ways house, or maybe a facility like the one run by Sheriff Arpaio in AZ, and made to perform hard, physical work, 40 hours a week, for how ever long they received disability payments.

There are people who really NEED disability, who paid into the system for years, yet they're denied, and it requires multiple appeals and thousands of dollars in lawyer fees (deducted from their disability payments!) over years to finally get approved. I have no problem paying for those who paid into the system, and who genuinely need the help.

I've had some physical problems for the last 4 years or so, when my Crohns disease REALLY did a number on me. But it gets me upset when people tell me that I should "get on disability." I want to work for as long as I can. I had to go on short term disability (private insurance my company pays for) 3 times over 4 years while I was recovering from illness and surgeries. While I was so thankful that my company planned to help employees in need, getting 60% of my salary for those months, helping to pay my bills, I couldn't wait to get back to work. I don't understand how people are able to "scam" the system. I guess they're just "wired" differently than me. But the abusers SHOULD be punished, HARD!

Mark

Look how fast the government took native Americans, hardy subsistence tribes, and what the reservations look like now.

There was a Stossel episode that illustrated this beautifully. There was a photo of a couple of fields taken from the air. Both were on "Indian land," one was owned and managed by the federal government, the other was privately owned. The government owned field was a mess, while the privately owned field had crops ready for harvest.

Mark

One example was counting hairs on fuzzy caterpillars.

I can’t see that as a particularly hazardous duty.

Not hazardous?

How about the Giant Silkworm Moth caterpillar? Highly venomous, those tiny spines will inject anything that touches them with an incredibly powerful anti-coagulant.

Just sayin...

Mark

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