Really? REALLY!

Fochizzy
Fochizzy Posts: 505 Member
edited September 29 in Motivation and Support
Ok take this as I mean it I hope. I work in vocational rehabilitation working with people with Physical and Mental Disabilities that prevent them from working full time, however, the goverment states that they are healthy enough to work part-time and can not get Disability. So in order to continue getting their Medicare, Food Stamps, Welfare, etc. They have to get a part-time job (how many hours a week they have to work depends on their condition). I like that we assess them and really try to help them find jobs that they will love, that we help them get training to re-enter the work-force and we even help them get interships as need. But today I saw a client whose disability was that she was morbidly obese, now mind you a great deal of my participants are obese due to medical concerns and physical limitations. But her disability is her weight, the government is giving her money and these services because she is obese. This bothers me, she does not have another medical concern causing her weight issues, she just is so overweight she has to limit: standing, walking, pushing, pulling and bending. She cannot: crouch, kneel or crawl. I have a lot of sympathy for how hard it is to lose weight but I do not want our government to give money to people who are merely morbidly obese, and I am a Democrat I swear.
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Replies

  • 512cheangela
    512cheangela Posts: 133
    The gov't gave my obese family member a parking pass that enables him to park for free anywhere in the downtown region in which he lives.

    SO, let me get this straight...

    The government pays part of his medical bills.

    Pays a monthly stipend for disability.

    Pays for vocational training and support.

    Then hands him a free pass to not have to walk more than 15 feet?!?!?

    Really.
  • Gilbrod
    Gilbrod Posts: 1,216 Member
    I agree with you exactly. It's like rewarding people to be lazy. Especially if they don't have a thyroid or other problem. It reminds me of the episode of The SImpsons where Homer gets fat on purpose to get disability. There goes our tax dollars.
  • becca92562
    becca92562 Posts: 30 Member
    Wow we do live in an interesting country don't we. Seems this would be no different then giving a drug addict services since their addiction and side effects from prevent them from holding a job. Makes you wonder what happened in her life that she will accept this as being her life. Kind of sad really
  • urastupidchimp
    urastupidchimp Posts: 80 Member
    That does seem a little extreme. I think in a case like this where the "disability" can be fixed, the government should require some kind of program to help the person lose the weight. Exercise and eat well for money! Doesn't sound like a bad deal to me!
  • BeLightYear
    BeLightYear Posts: 1,450 Member
    :angry: :angry: :angry: :noway:
  • McghanK
    McghanK Posts: 120
    This has nothing to do with being a democrat or a republican. I can see how that issue is bothering you. I have a problem with stuff like that as well. I think the best way to help her is not only giving her money but helping her loose the weight. I am all about helping people that need to helped, I also beleive that if you have money for beer and crappy food, you should have money for healthy food. I have seen how some of those programs work and it's in a way sad because there are no incentives to make your situation better.
  • MrBrown72
    MrBrown72 Posts: 407 Member
    Sadly I believe it's the only option. I can only imagine the feedback (pun not intended) if they used a logical approach and just told the obese person not to eat as much, deal with their problem, and stop whining. Then that person just sat in their miserable "do it for me" attitude until she died.

    Or if they tried to put her in a facility to help her lose weight. Again we'd all protest we were taking away her freedom of choice.

    The whole country would throw a fit about how the government let someones mother, sister, wife or huge bean bag couch die a miserable death when she came to them for help. I can only imagine the outcry if she ate her neighbors because the Man stopped her food stamps. So the government is stuck.

    The only place a real change can happen is at home, everyone's homes. Look at the kids, and tell them "you need to get up and move around." Then look at ourselves and say the same thing.
  • bethvandenberg
    bethvandenberg Posts: 1,496 Member
    love the democratic line! LOL
  • radioloren
    radioloren Posts: 26 Member
    I also agree. That is totally ridic. I would feel bad somewhat if they actually had a problem that caused them to be overweight and therefore, not be able to work. To just be too overweight to work, just because, that is nothing but sheer laziness, and that person (and other other person who falls into that category) should be ashamed of themselves. I do not work my a** off every dang day to pay for someone else's medical expenses and whatever else, just because they are too lazy to lift a finger. Like I said, if it were a medical condition, totally different story....but to just be too dang lazy to lift a finger....ABSURD.
  • freerange
    freerange Posts: 1,722 Member
    and I am a Democrat I swear.

    Welcome to the real world, glad to see your eyes are opening. :smile:
  • bperez45
    bperez45 Posts: 16
    I used to work in the same field... "used to..." and I must confess... morbid obesity is not so much a laziness issue as it is a control issue if it has no other medial issues causing it. The disability is what got them there, the daily living activities are just affected by the underlying issue. It's not perfect but it is what we have.
  • lmvince
    lmvince Posts: 54 Member
    That's unacceptable. Seems like her life would benefit a little more from working (and the exercise involved with it) than doing nothing.
  • Angie80281
    Angie80281 Posts: 444 Member
    I have an adult cousin who gets disability for having ADD and being overweight, with no underlying health problem as the cause. It absolutely infuriates me! He's not ADD, he's a drug addict who's too lazy to get up off the couch and get a job. He's fat because he lays around eating junk, drinking soda, and watching tv. Our tax dollars at work.
  • HadraPriestess
    HadraPriestess Posts: 58 Member
    Really.
    Apathy strikes at the heart of those who feel helpless and hopeless.
    Sad.
  • Dootzy1
    Dootzy1 Posts: 2,338 Member
    It is a sad deal for this person, because it does not support efforts they could make to change and live a more hopeful life. We are empowered when we take care of our needs, to the best of our ability, within our own unique circumstances. We become more "disabled" when we allow ourselves to become victimized by our circumstances.
  • dittiepe
    dittiepe Posts: 557 Member
    As somebody with not one but two disabilities(Rheumatoid arthritis and a pacemaker with sick sinus syndrome), AND a nurse, this frustrates me to no end. Because of my age, and because I get a little unemployment still due to being taken off of work, I can't get ANY help from the government. That includes medical insurance. I have 2 severe disabilities and I can't get medical insurance from the government. And I have worked most of my life until the last year.
    I was morbidly obese 14 years ago. I weighed in at my heaviest at 335, but only because my scale didn't go higher. So don't tell me that this is any sort of disability. Get off your *kitten* and get medical help that all of us are currently paying for. (I'm also a democrat! :)
  • wenders123
    wenders123 Posts: 338 Member
    Wow we do live in an interesting country don't we. Seems this would be no different then giving a drug addict services since their addiction and side effects from prevent them from holding a job. Makes you wonder what happened in her life that she will accept this as being her life. Kind of sad really

    I agree with the original poster, and as a matter of interest the above ^^^ DOES happen in the UK!!! And the same for alcoholics!! I don't think we should write these people off, but I do think the money would be better spent on rehab, rather than funding their addictions.
  • pittsblue99
    pittsblue99 Posts: 277 Member
    This actually made me physically ill to read! My youngest son is physically, medically, and developmentally handicap and will never be able to do anything for himself but we have had to fight just to get him medical coverage because he is under 18 and they consider it our responsibility to pay for everything on our own. He is ventilator dependent and the cost of those supplies a monthy alone is well over $1,000 - that is not even including his feeding tube supplies, trach supplies, and medicines. I feel like an aweful person for saying this but I personally have no sympathy for this woman! I do not mean to offend anybody reading this and I appoligize if I have but she is obese because of her own doing.
  • Tiffani3089
    Tiffani3089 Posts: 44 Member
    It bothers me that obese ppl get special parking just b/c they are huge.. I have 2 obese woman that work in my building (on an military installation) when we were upgraded to the bravo threat con after we killed Osama(WOOHOO) their Handicap parking spaces were not useable b/c they were too close to the building(there were a couple literally right across the street).. they filed a formal complaint saying there were not enough b/c they didn't want to walk!!! Did they get their way .. you bet your butts... their only handicap is that they are fat and lazy.. one even took it as far as not coming back into work after lunch b/c she could not find a parking space CLOSE enough to the building.. SERIOUSLY.. Walking would do her body good.. I don't care if they say "their knee's/back/feet are bad" blah blah blah excuse.. they wouldn't be so bad if they were not toting around 300 extra lbs! DUH! I have absolutely no sympathy for overweight people who do nothing to better their situation.... I find it discusting that these people take advantage of their "situation" they way they do.
  • mmcdonald03
    mmcdonald03 Posts: 4
    I agree. The US has a problem with not providing preventative healthcare which in turn would be cheaper than paying out govt assistance and the money for issues that could have been prevented.
  • kimmerroze
    kimmerroze Posts: 1,330 Member
    I can see how you would be pissed, and you can see why arizona is trying to pass a law that requires that all who are on state medical insurance who are obese have to pay a fine if they aren't actively working towards becoming healthy, they are trying to find a solution.

    In my opinion our government shouldn't be handing out handouts like that, tough love goes a long way sometimes...


    I would totally be pissed off if I was in that situation.
  • Kalrez
    Kalrez Posts: 655 Member
    That makes me pretty upset too. But there is hope! One of the cashiers I supervise at work is morbidly obese. She either has to lean on a shopping cart or ride an electric scooter to get to the time clock. She smells most of the time due to not being able to properly bathe & wipe after pooing. She barely fits in the space needed to stand to do her job. She gets insults thrown at her on a daily basis. She takes very frequent breaks to go to the bathroom and sit.

    But she still comes in to work every day. She still works around 30 hours a week. She could sit at home and do nothing. But yet she struggles and fights to live as normal of a life as she can.

    I have such a large amount of respect for her. I wish that she could show others of her size that they CAN get out and do things as long as they don't believe everyone who says that they can't.
  • jae6704
    jae6704 Posts: 458 Member
    Bump for when I am not at work. sounds like we work with the same people..
    Ok take this as I mean it I hope. I work in vocational rehabilitation working with people with Physical and Mental Disabilities that prevent them from working full time, however, the goverment states that they are healthy enough to work part-time and can not get Disability. So in order to continue getting their Medicare, Food Stamps, Welfare, etc. They have to get a part-time job (how many hours a week they have to work depends on their condition). I like that we assess them and really try to help them find jobs that they will love, that we help them get training to re-enter the work-force and we even help them get interships as need. But today I saw a client whose disability was that she was morbidly obese, now mind you a great deal of my participants are obese due to medical concerns and physical limitations. But her disability is her weight, the government is giving her money and these services because she is obese. This bothers me, she does not have another medical concern causing her weight issues, she just is so overweight she has to limit: standing, walking, pushing, pulling and bending. She cannot: crouch, kneel or crawl. I have a lot of sympathy for how hard it is to lose weight but I do not want our government to give money to people who are merely morbidly obese, and I am a Democrat I swear.
  • Hernandezedw
    Hernandezedw Posts: 284
    When I was little, my friend's mom refused promotions because she didn't want to get off government handouts. It's the world we made for ourselves.
  • Tintamar5678
    Tintamar5678 Posts: 15
    After reading this I have decided that I am going to eat pizza every day to the point I cant walk 10 steps without my heart pumping erractially. Once I gain enough weight I'm going to quit my job and let the government pay for me. While everyone is at work I am going to sit home, play video games, watch tv, amoung other fun things. (Need to catch up on Seaon 6 of The Office). This is going to be GREAT!! heck who needs to walk. I'll just let the government buy me a little rascal scooter. Thats gonna be fun too cruising around everywhere!! The best thing of all is I can eat whatever I want whenever I want. Pizza, Mc D's, Burger King, and those 3/4lb burgers from Wendys I love so much. Cant wait to get started!!! Yeah my life span might be shortened a little but everyones gonna die eventually anyways right?


    I'm only joking by the way. =)

    Its amazing how this country runs.

    Still cracks me up to think about when I recently lived in Hampton, VA and got to watch people drive BMW's, Mercedes, and other expensive cars while paying for their groceries with food stamps. But thats a whole other story.
  • chantel14
    chantel14 Posts: 128
    This is the reason I'm a Republican. Our country is extremely too generous about handing out money that we work hard for.... I work at the Postal Credit Union and it is insane what some of these people get disability for.... Like one guy got a cut on his head in that navy from the barber and now gets almost three grand a month in disability... people get it for being fat... for being "bi polar", or just because their back hurts.. Its crazy. And I still don't understand how people can draw disability and unemployment at the same time... You are either one way or the other! Its sad when we are cutting costs to social security and the elderly who have worked hard all their lives and giving it to people that are just lazy.
  • McghanK
    McghanK Posts: 120
    Sadly I believe it's the only option. I can only imagine the feedback (pun not intended) if they used a logical approach and just told the obese person not to eat as much, deal with their problem, and stop whining. Then that person just sat in their miserable "do it for me" attitude until she died.

    Or if they tried to put her in a facility to help her lose weight. Again we'd all protest we were taking away her freedom of choice.

    The whole country would throw a fit about how the government let someones mother, sister, wife or huge bean bag couch die a miserable death when she came to them for help. I can only imagine the outcry if she ate her neighbors because the Man stopped her food stamps. So the government is stuck.

    The only place a real change can happen is at home, everyone's homes. Look at the kids, and tell them "you need to get up and move around." Then look at ourselves and say the same thing.


    I can totally see your point. However, I thnk that if they would still give her help but also make her accountable, the story would change. Sure there are gonna be some lawyers out there that can twist everything. Is not about giving her or not giving her disability is about making people accountable. I think that would change a lot of things. But, hey that's just my opinion it hasn't change so far so I am not holding my breath on this issue....lol...I like your idea though that change starts in "your home". The sad thing is that this woman will pass down what she "knows" and the vicious cycle starts again!
  • cbratthauer
    cbratthauer Posts: 228 Member
    Maybe it's just me, but I see a disability as something we cannot change ourselves, like being blind, deaf, or being obese because of a medical condition. If she is just obese, then IMO it is something she can change and should not be considered a disability. I know it's hard to lose weight, but you have to draw the line somewhere don't you?
  • briabner
    briabner Posts: 427 Member
    It's called a a desk job!!! You dont have to crouch, stand, crawl, or bend over. Also, I would be more than happy to pay for someone obese to get gastric bypass surgery. There would be the upfront cost by not a lifelong cost.
  • Tintamar5678
    Tintamar5678 Posts: 15
    Maybe it's just me, but I see a disability as something we cannot change ourselves, like being blind, deaf, or being obese because of a medical condition. If she is just obese, then IMO it is something she can change and should not be considered a disability. I know it's hard to lose weight, but you have to draw the line somewhere don't you?

    Agree, being obese shouldn't be classified as a disability.
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