Wait... What ?!!

[Pluvious]

Sometimes I just don't know what to say.

Link to tweet

The Trump administration is proposing to monitor the social media accounts of veterans, and if the veterans are “too happy” their disability pensions for PTSD will be reduced. What a fucking joke.

[PeeJ52]

1. If they were happy, wouldn't that mean their treatment was working???

and if you took away their benefits, they wouldn't receive treatment anymore and the PTSD would return? The medications for PTSD are only a mask, they aren't a cure. You're on them for life.

[lunatica]

22. Big Brother cometh

[maddiemom]

47. Though he has everything possible in the material sense...

He's obviously never happy. Therefore, due to his nature, he HATES that anyone else is happy.

[notdarkyet]

2. Asshole.

[dameatball]

3. So Ol Bonespurs is okay with spying on vets with PTSD but won't show his tax returns.

[Cracklin Charlie]

4. Bullshit firehose running full blast this weekend.

Bad news coming next week, pukeface?

[monmouth4]

5. His cruelty is his food, he thrives off of it. n/t

[GetRidOfThem]

44. that is what

you call a sadist!

[MH1]

6. This HAS to be fake news! Oh wait ...

in this admin, maybe not.

[Honeycombe8]

16. It is. Read the article. nt

[Hekate]

29. Thank you. I hate Twitter. I hate satire posts that suck us in. It just is not funny any more.

I'm not going to click on the link -- but thanks for the heads-up. Look at all our friends being sucked in -- how is this funny?

[Drunken Irishman]

37. You're mistaken. This is a real article and real Trump proposal...

https://www.forbes.com/sites/imanibarbarin/2019/04/11/how-a-trump-proposal-could-reduce-happy-disabled-people/amp/?__twitter_impression=true

[Honeycombe8]

39. Well, it's close. But not the same. I'll tell you.

It's an article about the W.H. doing that (targeting) "people on Social Security disability." Not veterans, specifically. Veterans are covered for PTSD under VA benefits, but they may qualify for supplemental disability benefits under SS. (Trump probably doesn't know that.) But that's not what the article is about.

We would expect Trump to target citizens that he thinks vote Democratic. And if the article is true, that looks like what it is.

[lame54]

7. His special olympics ploy failed so now this

[pdsimdars]

8. Privte Bone Spurs monitoring false claims -- Oh FFS!

[dhill926]

9. more support for our vets, eh Repubs...

can't believe anyone in the military would still vote for these assholes...

[Mc Mike]

10. There will also be a reduction for those who fail to express a patriotic level of gratitude.

Catcha 22.

[Wounded Bear]

28. Floggings will continue until morale improves...

[Mc Mike]

36. Any excuse in a storm,

when it comes to Prez Bonespurs cutting aid to greedy taker vets.

[Ohiogal]

11. What's next

Spying on food stamp or Medicaid recipients’ Facebook accounts to make sure they’re not going out to eat or living too extravagantly?

This stinks to high heaven

[scarytomcat]

45. yet another reason to close your facebook and twitter accounts

if you want to communicate with someone you can just call them

[Docreed2003]

12. Fuuuuuuck you Donnie

You short fingered, bone spurred coward

[Grasswire2]

13. Does he think up these diabolical proposals on his own?

He needs to sleep more than four hours a night.

[maddiemom]

46. Stephen Miller.

[safeinOhio]

14. So, if they can make a diagnosis from a FaceBook post...

Should be very easy to make a diagnosis from hours of videos of trump to have him committed for him being a persistent narcissist. At least unfit of office.

I think you have to go with what ever he says and then take it to the next logical step.

[mommymarine2003]

15. I'm the mother of a Marine who suffers from PTSD.

My son did two tours in Iraq and came home with serious issues. We are lucky he is still alive. He suffers from serious PTSD and anxiety. When he returned from his second tour, which was in Ramadi, he appeared okay. Within a year, he was in a terrible downward spiral. He spent two years in his bedroom, only coming down for meals. At the time we lived in Tacoma,WA. The VA hospitals in both Tacoma and Seattle were pretty much worthless. We then moved to the Portland, OR area for my husband's work. The VA's in Portland and Vancouver were great. However, it was a full-time job for me taking him to both hospitals. Vancouver provided group counseling. Portland had individual counseling, PT, OT, regular physician, and a nutritionist. It was a long uphill battle, and he is probably 90% back to normal.

He has earned every penny of his disability and medical benefits. He is probably 10 years behind where he should be in his life. I would not wish what my son endured and we as a family have endured on most anyone (except maybe Trump and his fellow Republicans). Every time he calls me on the phone, I prepare myself for a crisis. Fortunately, most phone calls are good ones or ones that we can deal with or advise him.

It makes me so angry and disgusted with Trump and people who would even think of taking away their well-earned benefits.

[backtoblue]

23. Thank you for sharing this

People who suffer from PTSD try desperately to find any sort of contentment or happiness.

It carries such a biased social stigma.

This proposition would vastly undermine the progress made by the individual. Most of us have good days and bad days. We learn to cope in various ways and being punished for wanting happiness is inconceivable.

The right to the pursuit of happiness...???

Unless you are poor, sick, or brown.

I wish you and your family well. I thank your son for his service and hope he can find a bit of peace.



ETA: Alot of us learn how to "act happy" around others so we don't burden them.

[mommymarine2003]

30. Thanks. It is a constant battle.

He is doing remarkably well now. He got married in 2017, is working full-time, and has his first child due in November. We never thought this would happen, so we are very grateful. I do know that I have suffered some form of PTSD having to deal all of this.

[blue neen]

25. Well said.

Thank you for sharing this, AND this country owes you a debt of gratitude for sharing your son.

[mommymarine2003]

31. Thank you. We are proud of our son and how he has survived through all this.

[Honeycombe8]

17. READ THE ARTICLE! It's not about veterans at all. It's about SS Disability Benefits....

It's about all disabled people receiving Social Security Disability Benefits. Not veterans specifically. Veterans get VA benefits, but MAY be eligible to get supplemental assistance for PTSD from Social Security.

[lostnfound]

20. I noticed the same thing, why did they mis-represent to? Nt

[blue neen]

24. It's despicable, all the same.

Truly hateful.

[backtoblue]

26. Thanks for the info

[Liberal In Texas]

18. Because eveything on FB is true!

How absurd. Deny people benefits because they "look" happy? Because "happy" people aren't allowed to apply for the benefits they deserve?

This has Stephen Miller written all over it. Just another repub "screw the common guy" idea.

[Mersky]

19. And they think monitoring disabled citizens is somehow a good idea

The linked Forbes article discusses the social security administration monitoring disabled recipients' social media accounts. I have little doubt Trump and gang intend to extend these privacy invasion tactics to veterans as well. The cruelty of any such proposal knocks the wind right out of me.

Folks, people with permanent disabilities are already inspected by SSI doctors every few years. The office waits are a nightmare, and the agents at the offices are frequently overly rude and shaming. The process is demoralizing enough as it is.

[smirkymonkey]

21. You have got to be fucking kidding me.

Is there no end to the cruelty this administration won't dish out? What the fuck is wrong with them? Our military budget is astronomical, yet they keep finding ways to stiff veterans who have devoted their lives to serving this country and have suffered for it.

I am so sick of these cowards and draft dodgers making policy that harms and neglects brave veterans. It is just sickening.

[DontBooVote]

41. Everything you said, smirkymonkey!

[backtoblue]

27. Here is a yahoo article

The Trump administration has been quietly maneuvering to use Facebook and Twitter to spy on people collecting federal disability payments, the New York Times reported. Social Security revealed in a budget request last year that it planned to study whether to use surveillance of social media to “expedite the identification of fraud,” according to the Times.

Snip


https://news.yahoo.com/amphtml/government-aims-social-media-spy-143148315.html

[TygrBright]

32. Aiming to be FIRST into the market with my great new business idea:

Start a consulting service writing depressed-sounding social media content for people getting PTSD disability!

I can TOTALLY do this!

I'm gonna be richer than... well, maybe not Jeff Bezos or Bill Gates... but I bet I can knock Jaime Dimon down a few pegs on the "richest" lists!

excitedly,
Bright

P.S. For those who don't understand irony here's a link: Wikipedia not Wikianythingelse

[calimary]

33. FUCK!!!!!!!!!!

[Volaris]

34. Something tell me that after that tweet/announcement, theyre all going to get a raise lol...

Any 'happiness' they have just took a big ass dip heh...

They just can't get it, can they? This administration could screw up turning the lights off I swear. And the Republicans want to bitch and complain about oversight?

Hey GOP: if oversight were A TENTH of what the Constitution requires, the entire senior staff of the white house, roughly a THIRD of the congress and a good number of this administration's appointed judges would all be in prison already.

But, you know, veterans pensions. Yeah THATS what needs 'looking into'

Smdh.
ITMF.

[LudwigPastorius]

35. To paraphrase H.L. Mencken:...

Republicanism is the haunting fear that someone on public assistance, somewhere, may be having a good day.

[LuckyCharms]

38. Trump is insane. And the Senate will do nothing. n/t

[Blue Owl]

40. Get bent, Diaper Donnie

Then go fuck yourself you sack of shit.

[cynatnite]

42. Here's the real article...

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/10/us/politics/social-security-disability-trump-facebook.html?linked=google

They're looking for fraudulent claims and the proposal is to look at social media accounts. It's pointed out that those are notoriously unreliable and using fraud investigators is preferable.

What's more important, IMO, is a proposal that could strip millions of claimants the right to an in-person hearing in favor of video conferencing. It could deprive due process.

They want to overhaul Social Security and are making those plans for the 2020 budget.

[defacto7]

43. It's an excuse to look for liberals and take their benefits.

Weaponizing it the word right now.

[IronLionZion]

48. Why not post the original article?

How A Trump Proposal Could Reduce 'Happy' Disabled People

https://www.forbes.com/sites/imanibarbarin/2019/04/11/how-a-trump-proposal-could-reduce-happy-disabled-people/#143285a3636c

It's about government monitoring social media accounts of people on social security disability and removing benefits if someone is doing physical activities. It's a very bad plan, but is not what the Twitter post said.

[CaptYossarian]

49. I've got one leg, am blind in one eye, and am on a double organ transplant list (for real).

Trump can kiss my ass.