Is being fat a disability??

Well this has been fun. I've gone through a wide range of emotions reading this: shocked, offended, angry, and finally indifferent... None of those emotions effected anyone but me.

Hopefully everyone that took the time to read this thread at least learned something. If not, then what a waste of time.

I learned that I judge others. I'd be shocked to find anyone that doesn't to some degree.

I learned that I judge myself. I've been laid off and didn't claim unemployment. I have my own share of disabilities for which I should use a handicapped parking permit or a scooter, but I don't. I do this because of my fear of being judged by others.

I learned that I hide my weaknesses with lies or humor to try to appear stronger to myself or others. Jokes like, "MS is my immune system making Swiss cheese of my brain". Ok that doesn't sound remotely funny taken out of context. You had to be there.

I learned that people without direct experience with mental illness are completely ignorant of what it's actually like.

I learned that I want a hover chair that actually hovers.

in the end, people speaking from a place of empathy and knowledge might actually get someone to re-think their position. I laughed at the OP being called a douche, but that is going to have zero impact on changing her perspective.

When someone has a baby, they take FMLA leave. Getting pregnant is (for most people) a conscious decision someone has made. They aren't denied FMLA because they "did it to themselves". So, even if you want to argue that a person is obese because they "did it to themselves", that is no reason to specifically deny them FMLA for now being obese.

Further FMLA is paid from benefits already accrued by the individual - their vacation and sick time. It isn't as if the company are forced to pay the person a salary and have them accrue further benefits for the time they are off. So the only cost to the company is finding someone to do the job while the person is on FMLA, and having a job for them when they get back.

Finally, allowing someone who is obese (and has no other medical conditions) to take a leave so they can address their obesity (going to a "fat farm" perhaps? I can't quite picture what else they would need FMLA for in the absence of other necessary medical procedures) will possibly prevent them from getting complications of the obesity further down the road. That will save the company (and the health insurance) money in the long run.

And finally (again)... isn't it the compassionate thing to do? If someone comes to me and says they need to use FMLA, isn't the right thing to do to try and get it for them and not try to second guess their medical or other conditions? Or does the Hobby Lobby decision mean that company busy bodies get to decide appropriate (non)treatments for everyone now?

Ok let me go a little different way....I think when you get disabilty...you can also get food stamps I THINK.....if that is the case...should the food you can get with that assistance be monitored?? I know with pregnant women who get WIC, they have to only get certain things and its all healthy such as they have to get natural cereals and nothing with sugar.....

Okay, you're just prying at that can of worms again, aren't you?

I am really not trying to....do I just need to shut the **** up???

Yes.

And this is why:

When a person gets SSDI (disability), they have to prove medically that they have a disability. They have provided medical records, been to medical or mental health professionals, sat in front of a judge, probably hired a lawyer, and proved beyond a shadow of a doubt they are disabled and cannot work. And yes, SSDI does open the door for several other programs, including SNAP, Vocational Rehabilitation HUD, etc. But people who receive SSDI have spent easily 2-3 years proving they are disabled. It is not an easy process in any way, shape, or form. So yes, you should STFU because obviously you have never worked within the system and have zero idea of what you are speaking.

Well, that puts my fears to rest, knowing that the system is foolproof, and no-one could ever possibly game the system to their advantage.

Any system can be gamed. Student Loans are gamed all the time. However, they are never really brought into question.

Can you enlighten me as to how this is done? For research purposes only lolol

You've never known anybody who "went to school" for the six years they spent drunk?

Oh. I don't care about that. I thought it was being stated that there was a way you could get out of paying them back.

Nevermind. LOL. Carry on.

Bankruptcy.

Nope Bankruptcy is not going to work. One still has to pay student loan. There is NO FORGIVENESS whatsoever when it comes to student loans.

Yea, bankruptcy won't exempt you. Woulda filed a long time ago :laugh:

QFT.

I just *had* to stay at the fancy school, even though my parents started making more money, and I was getting less and less financial aid. *sigh*

So pay the minimum until you die. You get to take the interest off your taxes anyway.

Not if you make enough to actually pay back the student loans

There was an original joke about finding a way to not pay them back.

Yea, bankruptcy won't exempt you. Woulda filed a long time ago :laugh:

QFT.

I just *had* to stay at the fancy school, even though my parents started making more money, and I was getting less and less financial aid. *sigh*

So pay the minimum until you die. You get to take the interest off your taxes anyway.

Not if you make enough to actually pay back the student loans

Yea, bankruptcy won't exempt you. Woulda filed a long time ago :laugh:

QFT.

I just *had* to stay at the fancy school, even though my parents started making more money, and I was getting less and less financial aid. *sigh*

So pay the minimum until you die. You get to take the interest off your taxes anyway.

Not if you make enough to actually pay back the student loans

There was an original joke about finding a way to not pay them back.

I believe that the original point was one of gaming the system.