In today’s age of instant gratification we lose track of accuracy. Everyone has to react to something right away, report something right now and comment on something immediately before all the facts are known. We have allowed this type of behavior to exist through the expansion of the Internet and social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter where it’s not what you say, just how fast you say it.
Reporting or even commenting on something before all the fact are known is really irresponsible, but not half as irresponsible as a public figure who states something in public, which has no factual basis whatsoever to promote a political agenda. Enter Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky).
Paul, who is not a fan of the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program attacked and ridiculed the program when he characterized that a large portion of people receiving disability benefits didn’t deserve them while speaking to presidential primary voters in New Hampshire. .
“The thing is that all these programs, there’s always somebody who’s deserving. Everybody in this room knows somebody who’s gaming the system. I tell people that if you look like me and you hop out of your truck, you shouldn’t be getting a disability check. Over half the people on disability are either anxious or their back hurts. Join the club. Who doesn’t get up a little anxious for work every day and their back hurts? Everyone over 40 has back pain.”
There are so many offensive things Rand said in this statement that it is difficult to know where to begin. First of all, Rand’s claim that over half the people on disability receive benefits for either anxiety or back issues is flat out false. In addition, the vast majority of people who receive benefits for back issues have debilitating pain from serious injuries that have occurred. These people have tried back surgery, many times more than once, have tried physical therapy and are usually prescribed narcotic level pain medications just to get through the day.
And for those who receive disability benefits for being “anxious” as Paul said, I would like to see Paul produce one person who receives disability benefits where their only diagnosis is anxiety. Many people who receive disability benefits for mental health reasons do have anxiety, but many other mental health conditions associated with it like depression, schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, post traumatic stress disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and others.
Until we demand that our highest politicians use facts to backup their arguments, how can we ask an average Joe to do it on Twitter?
To learn more about Paul’s comments click here.
