The Social Security System is Deeply Flawed
I decided to write about something today that has troubled me for a long time. The Social Security System in the US does not work for disabled people, and I never hear anyone say anything about that in public discourse. It is hard to get on the disabled roster, we all know that, but there is a greater flaw, in my opinion. Let's take two hypothetical people, Mr. Ant and Mr. Hopper. Mr. Hopper gets sick at the age of 35, with gudaufle disease. Don't look that up. He freaks out totally, says Ohnoohnoohnohno! So he immediately applies for SSDI, aka Social Security Disability Insurance. He hires a lawyer, because he Makes Good Money, and gets it eventually. Mr. Ant also gets the same disease at 35, but says IthinkIcanIthinkIcanIthinkIcan. He struggles, he suffers, but he goes on working, gets deathly ill, loses his job. He recovers after a long convalescence, goes back to work at a less demanding job, gets sick again and again for years and years. Finally he applies, eventually gets SSDI. Mr. Hopper gets his checks based on his sterling employment history and his makinggoodmoneyjob salary. Mr. Ant gets his checks based on a shameful history of inconsistent employment and notmakingsuchgoodmoney jobs, many of them. Mr. Hopper gets much, much more money than Mr. Ant, who fought the good fight for many years. Mr. Hopper lives happily ever after, stress free and mildly sick. Mr. Ant winds up homeless, dies of pneumonia from being totally stressed and living in a packing crate. Am I the only person in America that sees a problem in this story?
Replies
Seems about right to me Richie, and you know how the UK copies everything that USA does so we are going down that route!
Sounds like it is from what I have read here at ds from people living in the US. You make a very good analogy.
It makes me thankful that I live where I do. It was so easy for me to get onto an Invalids benefit. I asked (told!) them to come to me to assess me... and also the doc that had to okay it. I could choose from 2 docs, I chose the one my cfs/me doc suggested... and he came to my house too. I went on SS immediately with back pay to when my husband died, I think they felt sorry for me having lost Peter the way I did.
Years ago though here people with cfs/me were suiciding because no one would believe they were sick, and if they had no family to support them they had nothing. The ME Society fought for all their worth, one Member of Parliament had a daughter with ME, so things changed.
Do you have an old age benefit in the US, I saw someone write about their father getting something. We do at age 65.
Excellent rendition, though absurdly sad.
Hugs and Mojo
Weebs