Dancin' (welfare) queen...

[Gob]

A New York City woman who was getting $US850 ($800) a month in alimony on grounds she was disabled and unable to work has had her payments slashed after her ex-husband spotted online photos of her belly dancing.

Brian McGurk went to court after finding a blog depicting his 43-year-old ex-wife dancing at a gallery.

In other internet postings, she wrote about dancing vigorously for several hours every day.

Dorothy McGurk told the court the dancing was physical therapy for injuries she suffered in a car accident in 1997, when discs in her spine ruptured.

A judge didn't accept her testimony, stripping her of her lifetime alimony settlement, instead awarding her $US400 a month for two years.

The judge also ordered her to pay her ex-husband's legal fees of $US5000 plus interest, move out of their home and give him 60 per cent from its sale.

Read more: http://www.brisbanetimes.com.au/world/i ... z1JqitWkwI

[The Hen]

When will people learn to not globally broadcast every part of their lives? (Especially when are they diddling the system. )

[Rick]

never...

[@meric@nwom@n]

I have a facebook friend who is on disability. She writes every day of painting hanging wallpaper, pulling up carpet and rearranging furniture. I imagine one day someone is going to tell on her.

[kristina]

Don't insurance companies and welfare agencies check places like facebook?

[BoSoxGal]

I have one of those, too, @w.

Old HS friend who found me on FB. She allegedly has severe fibromyalgia and lives in near constant excruciating pain necessitating disability - yet she was 'out working in the yard' all weekend.

Go figure?

[@meric@nwom@n]

It irritates the piss out of me on account of how much I owed this year in taxes. Grrrrrr.

[@meric@nwom@n]

Don't insurance companies and welfare agencies check places like facebook?

Dunno, but I suppose they do if they can get into see them.

[loCAtek]

Facebook: the World's Virtual-Voyeur

[Joe Guy]

I have one of those, too, @w.

Old HS friend who found me on FB. She allegedly has severe fibromyalgia and lives in near constant excruciating pain necessitating disability - yet she was 'out working in the yard' all weekend.

"Working in the yard" might mean something completely different to you and I than it does to her.

She may be doing the best she can to to try to grow and maintain a garden in order to not feel completely useless and depressed because of her disability.

I have a friend who endures a lot of pain in order to keep her garden growing. But she does it because she believes it is better for her than sitting still doing nothing just to avoid pain.

There are disabled people who work very hard at trying not to look & act disabled.

[Gob]

Fair point Joe, for some gardening can be good therapy.

[@meric@nwom@n]

Well how about working at a job to try and not look disabled. Surely if you can garden you can answer phones somewhere.

[@meric@nwom@n]

Here is an entry from friend's facebook last night.

Did laundry, hung it outside, made a wind chime, took up carpet in the upstairs bedroom, fixed supper, took the dogs out and let them run, dug a 3' hole and planted a new mailbox, went to the grocery...tomorrow I'm pulling up staples and tac strips.

Pretty darned agile for being "totally disabled" don't you think?

[The Hen]

That is FAR more than I am physically capable of at the moment, ant I worked a nine hour day today.

Bugger arse!

[BoSoxGal]

My friend's working in the yard all weekend involved using railroad ties and big piles of dirt to construct a significant landscaping project. Must have been a good day for her, pain-wise.

I'm only resentful because I have not yet been able to even get out and rake last fall's leaves from my yard during the few days of warm weather we've had thus far, because I've been too busy putting in trial prep on my weekends. I could just put in the 40 hours/week and I probably would keep my job, but luckily for my boss and the public I serve, I have a personal best that I insist on attempting to attain in my work.

I'm a migraineur of almost 20 years now, I've developed IBS following my two recent major surgeries, I have bunions, early onset arthritis, severe sleep apnea and have battled recurrent major depression for almost 20 years related to the sleep apnea. I've no doubt I could find an MD who would write me off as persistently disabled and with my legal know-how, I could navigate the process to eventually obtain SSDI. I could probably also get my massive student loan debt written off once I obtained the SSDI.

Sadly, I was raised to be honest and hard working, even in the face of persistent pain and other obstacles.

Sadly, I say, because I would sure enjoy 'feeling useful' by spending my days gardening and baking and playing Zynga games on FaceBook, as my friend does. I'd love to nap when I felt the urge, to crash on the sofa watching movies when I wanted, and to retreat to a dark room every time I have a migraine, instead of sitting in Judge's chambers with the lights out and the blinds pulled so the wheels of justice can keep turning in the face of my illness (I'm grateful for the colleagues who accommodate my illness so graciously, holding scheduling conferences in a dimly lit room).

Please pardon my impatience with the many able disabled. I'm really pretty damned sympathetic to people struggling with illness, but I've worked too long with the poor and challenged to not be aware how many are scamming the system.

All that being said, I'd rather our system let the bum on the rods get a pass and instead go after the bum on the plush.

The bum on the rods is hunted down
As the enemy of mankind
The other is driven around to his club
Is feted, wined and dined.
And they who curse the bum on the rods
As the essence of all that is bad,
Will greet the other with a winning smile,
And extend the hand so glad.

The bum on the rods is a social flea
Who gets an occasional bite,
The bum on the plush is a social leech,
blood sucking day and night.
The bum on the rod is a load so light
That his weight we scarcely feel,
But it takes the labor of dozen of men
To furnish the other a meal.

As long as you sanction the bum on the plush
The other will always be there,
But rid yourself of the bum on the plush
And the other will disappear.
Then make an intelligent, organized kick
Get rid of the weights that crush.
Don't worry about the bum on the rods,
Get rid of the bum on the flush.

~ Fry Pan Jack