Dissability increase on Melissa Harris-Perry. WTF did you think was

[brewens]

17. My main examples are decades old for sure, but I do have a friend

who recently got his claim approved for carpal tunnel. He sailed right through, so it's not always a nightmare. Had his surgery been successful, I'd think he could still have easily claimed to have the pain and made it. How hard could that be? Just repeat failing the therapy tests that got him the surgery in the first place. He worked at a munitions plant, an occupation that is notorious for that kind of injury. Still the surgery was intended to get him back to work there.

Another guy I know has been disabled for 30 years with a back injury. His story is that his pain was so severe, that when offered the opportunity to go back to school, he wasn't able to because he couldn't stand to sit in a chair for any length of time. I've seen him build a fence at his house. Bass season is almost upon us and I'll possibly go fishing with him. The dude actually stalked me one time to discover "The Mother Lode Hole", a secret I jealously guarded. He repays me by taking me out in his bass boat sometimes. He can launch and load a boat and sit in his chair fishin' from sunup to sundown. I know people see guys like that and get the wrong idea, but I never claimed that most people are scamming the system.

It's interesting that disability is expanding the way it is if it's so tough to get a claim approved. I'd blame some of the expansion on the way the job market is now. Even some fairly legitimate claims are probably people that would stick it out a few more years, if it would get them to a reasonable early retirement situation.