Here’s Why Social Security Disability Benefits Are So Vital
A physical disability is a terrible thing that can never fully be understood by those who don’t have one. No matter how many people in wheelchairs you happen to encounter throughout the course of the day, you can never really know what it is like to suddenly be without the use of your legs, arms, eyes, ears, or speech.
We call them the 5 senses. That is an unfortunate choice of words, as one without one or more of those senses is quite literally sense-less. They have access to less of their senses than you do. That also leads to others treating them as if they had less sense than the average person. A blind person traveling with a sighted guide is seldom spoken to. They are usually spoken about, as if they were not standing right there. When they are addressed, it is often in slow, loud tones, as if speaking to a small child, or a disobedient puppy.
There are very good reasons that people with disabilities are awarded Social Security disability benefits. It is one of the most important entitlements, and also among the most abused and misunderstood. Hopefully, this will clear up some of that confusion:
Our better Angels
The first thing to clear up about any government subsidy or entitlement is that it is not some nameless, faceless organization taking away our money to do things of which we do not approve, even if it feels that way sometimes. Rather, we are the government. We, the people, decided a long time ago that there should be a safety net for everyone, even if they don’t seem to deserve one.
We do not want to see people living below the poverty line if it can be avoided. We would rather subsidize a million unworthy people than to let one worthy person suffer. We agreed that one category we should always see to was the physically disabled. That was not an evil, government decision. That was the product of our better angels.
The Benefits to Society Outweigh the Abuses
Yes, it is absolutely the case that drug addicts and alcoholics often receive SSD benefits. We can live with that because that is the inevitable price necessary to make sure that every physically challenged member of our society has a fighting chance at life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.
No one likes abusers of a system. We do everything we can to keep those abuses to a minimum. We want to make sure the limited resources go to the right people. Before a person receives Social Security disability benefits, the government checks for these 5 things:
- The severity of your disability and its symptoms
- How your symptoms interfere with your day-to-day life
- How you earned a living before your disability
- What treatments you have tried
- Your doctor’s opinion
Because of the abuses, many people who should receive these benefits, don’t. That is why there is a legal speciality dealing with helping people receive the SSD benefits to which we all agree they are entitled. The benefits far outweigh the abuses
Disability Does Not Discriminate
Whether or not you were born perfect, you are a future candidate for a disability benefit. That is because we are all subject to disease and injury, even if we did nothing wrong. Citing marketresearch.com, this article states:
There are 56 million individuals with disabilities in the U.S., representing the country’s third largest market segment after Baby Boomers and mature market…
Disabilities are not limited by race, creed, class, gender, sexual preference, or anything else. SSD benefits are important because at any given moment, they can apply to us all, and the people we hold dearest.
Finally, there is no getting around it: to succeed in this world, we need functioning bodies. Just try dancing the polka without one. There are no blind bus drivers or deaf interpreters. SSD benefits provide the small window of opportunity that gives a potential drain on society, the fighting chance of becoming an important contributor. At the end of the day, that is the truest American dream.
