[Tumbleweed_Connection]

There is no military budget and we don't have an effective tax cut program. So why do we have the enormous deficits?

[Dakmar]

We need to create more jobs that Americans won't take. I can't understand why y'all just don't see the logic in that.

[headsonpikes]

It's good to see that socialism can find no place to start in America.

[Arkinsaw]

Its pretty weird. My sister-in-law has a heart ailment, she has an immune disorder, she has two bad knees, she has carpal tunnel in both wrists.

But she cannot get disability because they say that she "could" get a job in her chosen profession. Her profession is as a Registered Nurse. She was told that she could work as a telephone nurse. This is true I suppose except the position of telephone nurse is extraordinarily rare here and the employers tend to hire healthy people even for that position. Nevertheless, she COULD do that if positions were available.

A friend of mine DID get disability insurance. His problem is that he has two completely shot knees. He can't walk so good. The reason he DID get disability is because he was strictly a manual laborer. His only skills are in setting up heavy manufacturing equipment. He is indeed disabled for his profession even though he is about ten times healthier than the sister-in-law. And even though he has just about as much chance of getting a job as the sister-in-law.

This is a perfect example of why manual laborers and such get disability at a much higher rate. It has nothing to do with "lazybone blue collar" versus "productive white collar" as this article sort of hints. I am a Software Engineer and I would never be able to get disability even were I to go blind and deaf with a serious heart defect. Simply because in my career I COULD get a job with a Braille terminal and IV bag pole next to me. My blue collar friend could not.

[Sungirl]

I'd like to see the demographics on all these people on disability.

[Jack Black]

Great article. We're screwed. God I hate looking at my tax returns and pay check stubs. And knowing it goes to stuff like this.