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To: Les H who wrote (15287)	11/30/2003 10:56:12 AM
From: Les H	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 306849

How hard is it to buy American? news-observer.com

To: Les H who wrote (15287)	11/30/2003 6:10:29 PM
From: GraceZ	Respond to of 306849

What kills me is this is a guy who teaches economics at the graduate school level writing this drivel. The very definition of disabled is that you are not physically able to work. It would be ridiculous in the extreme to count the disabled in the work force. Counting up disability applications and then claiming a big increase in the rolls is equally stupid because everyone unless they are legally blind is turned down initially (being legally blind makes you automatically eligible for benefits). It is a difficult, long and arduous task to be considered disabled enough to receive SS disability payments, some people wait two to three years even when they are clearly disabled, others are rejected repeatedly for five years or more before having their applications accepted. What the author failed to point out, is the labor participation levels. Of course there are more disabled now than there ever were (there are more people living here than ever before), but if you want me to start believing that the government is accepting more disability applications in order to hide a higher level of unemployment he is going to have to show me how much the percentage of the population that is now considered disabled has jumped since 2000 when employment peaked, not just cite the raw number. The numbers of disabled receiving disability benefits increased significantly back when Title 19 was passed back in 1972, adding SSI disability benefits for those who were ineligible for SS. Since then it has increased at around the same rate as the population even while the number of applicants always rises during recessions. I have a few friends who work over at SS (it's located in Maryland) and it is hardly a hot bed of Republicans looking to make the current administration look good. You don't advance over there by accepting as many people as you can, you advance by excluding as many as you can.