This, the 1st week of July 2012 saw the release of statistics that more people went on disability rolls than started new jobs. While we all know that the government wants to increase welfare rolls and that there are people who want to get something for nothing, I am assuming that the vast majority of these people legitimately need to be on disability. Why?
We stopped at a McDonalds today in one of America’s oil fields, Odessa, TX. Every employee wore a tee shirt with the words “McDonalds is hiring now.” The large sign in front of the building said starting wages were from $8.50 to $14 per hour. The place was very busy, filled with oil workers and truck drivers in a hurry to get back to work. The customers talked about how busy they were. The McDonalds was obviously short-handed. The owners of several machine shops in Wisconsin went on a national campaign looking for qualified workers. Gun manufactures have backlogs over a year and are refusing to take new orders. This is proof there are jobs in America. So, what is going on in America?
When Henry Ford introduced his assembly line and made automobiles affordable for the average person, demand for horses dropped dramatically. Horse farms adjusted and people survived. But businesses that supplied accessories for the horse and wagon industry died, never to return. This introduced the world to a new business term, “buggy-whipped.” That is, your job disappears, never to return, because a new technology has replaced you. Academicians dislike “buggy-whipped” or “horse-whipped” and so coined the educationalese term “technological displacement.” For the people losing their jobs, “horse-whipped” seems like a better term.
In a fit of false compassion, governments all over the world passed laws to protect workers from evil, greedy capitalists. What actually happened was government workers became the new welfare class. If you want to buy a glass of milk, a pen, a shirt or anything else, government taxes producers, creates regulations, and adds to the cost of producing what you want, plus taxes the final product. Each of these stages of government busywork employs what amounts to welfare workers. These government jobs not only do not need to be done but are actually harmful.
A “buggy-whipped” person needs to be retrained for a new job. Going back to school takes years, creates enormous debt and 50% of all graduates are unable to find work in the field they are graduating in. Minimum wage laws require employees to have a certain level of productivity or they cost the company money instead of make money for the employer. Minimum wage laws make apprenticeship programs impossible. The cost of training a person who is not productive is just too high under minimum wage laws. Even if there is an apprenticeship program, the trainee is not obligated to work for that employer when he completes his training. So both employer and employee turn to inefficient government training programs. Though the employer does not have to pay the costs, the result is a trainee who is poorly trained to meet his specific needs. Employers often do not care because they believe that almost anyone can do the job. They are simply looking for the lowest cost.
Employees find that these expensive, time-consuming programs are mostly indoctrination and rarely prepare one for the very demanding requirements of a real job. The end result is taking a position that is low wage, part time and usually temporary, such as McDonalds, or taking a position that is either dangerous, you are not qualified for or both.
I believe that the number of people on the disability rolls points to horse-whipped Americans taking dangerous jobs they are not prepared for because they are desperate.
FINDLEY FAMILY VIDEO 
You are absolutely right, Michael, that “The Obama Administration selectively points to the few areas that have low unemployment as examples that his policies are working while ignoring the rest of the country.” and that “The real threat to the American way of life is the progressive government and its policies.” I disagree, however, with your theory on why Americans are going on disability in record numbers, even though it sounds good in theory and it may even be true.
I am no expert but here’s what I’m basing that opinion on…First of all, I have never known anyone that was applying or receiving disability for those reasons. Second, I worked for probably six months in the lobby of a Dept. of Family Services office, where people came through all day and sat and talked about their situation. In all that time, I never heard of one person say anything remotely like that…or where I could now fit their comments into that box. Okay, like I said…I’m not an expert and those are my only reasons so I’m not meaning to be argumentative, really…so I apologize if it seems that way.
What my personal thoughts are…and they are only that…just personal thoughts…is that most people haven’t taken care of themselves and have even done stupid things that have gotten them in the condition they’re in. Right or wrong, whether work related or dumb choices, they have been plodding along trying to get by with their failing health issues. Along comes President Bush & especially President B.O., and we have a financial meltdown followed by some seriously bad choices that exacerbated the problems, and record numbers of people have found themselves out of work and even losing their homes.
The ones that could went on unemployment for as long as they could. When that ran out, they decided their only option was to try to get disability for those health issues they’ve had all along but tried to live and work with. The unfortunate ones never even had unemployment when the hard times hit.
Now, let’s look at the timeline…the worst of times hit in September 2008. I’ve been told that the average amount of time it takes to get on disability is about 3 years. I can’t imagine that everyone jumped on the disability bandwagon at once so the fact that there are so many now is just the progress of time considering the “normal” time it takes to get approved and start receiving disability. Again, this is just my opinion and I only have what I’ve seen and heard as my “facts” behind it.
Leave it to me to write something longer than the original blogger! Haha! At any rate, I do need to say that I agree that “Americans are treated as disposable by the government. Business owners are not our friends, but neither are they our enemies.” I had better not share about them but suffice it to say that I couldn’t agree with you more about both of them.
onisha Ellis and mrsrogers thanks for the comments. It is very difficult to get any comments, so these are greatly appreciated. Your comments are the point of the article. Unemployment is higher than it has been since statistics on unemployment were started. The Obama Administration selectively points to the few areas that have low unemployment as examples that his policies are working while ignoring the rest of the country. The point of this article is that Americans are going on disability in record numbers because they are being injured in the workforce in record numbers. Either the jobs are too dangerous, they are being pushed too hard or they are not adequately trained for the job. Americans are treated as disposable by the government. Business owners are not our friends, but neither are they our enemies. The real threat to the American way of life is the progressive government and its policies.
This post is not to be in disagreement with you but to share some news that might “shed a little light” on your actual post. Every area is so different. I did an internet search and discovered in that Odessa’s unemployment rate is 4.3%, among the lowest in TX and TX has a 6.9% unemployment rate, which is among the lowest rates of all the states. The article was dated June 15th and came from newswest9.com, a local TV station.
Thanks for the heads-up, Onisha. And you are right, different areas are seeing different problems.
Hey,Mary it seems the post duplicated itself. FYI in our area even McD jobs are hard to find.