Free Republic

Add the millions of productive disabled workers to the list of gripes that the millions of unproductive, able-bodied Welfare recipients have against society. "It's not fair," said Billy Montaine, an Altoona welfare recipient, as he watches a paraplegic worker Don McCain program a computer by blowing into a tube. "What a show off." Montaine, who's a third-generation welfare beneficiary, said that McCain and people like him cause uncomfortable feelings, which may be pangs of guilt. "I can't be weighed down by a conscience," said Montaine. "I got beers to drink and ladies to romance. They're impinging on my wants and...

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's overhaul of the workers' compensation system has saved California employers billions of dollars over the last two years, but it also has led to a significant drop in benefits paid to disabled workers, according to a new report. The analysis from the state Commission on Health and Safety and Workers' Compensation found that the regulations adopted in 2004 have reduced the average cash award given to permanently disabled workers by 50 percent. Critics of the governor's reforms said the study's findings are proof the system does not treat injured workers fairly and that changes...