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Apr 30, 2013

WSJ Refutes WSJ Claims

     From Media Matters:
A Wall Street Journal article debunked the myth that federal disability benefits are to blame for the shrinking labor force, "exaggerated" claims that have previously been pushed by the paper itself.
An April 29 Journal article headlined "Real Culprit Behind Smaller Workforce: Age" explained that the recent decrease in the labor force -- the number of employed and unemployed Americans who are currently seeking work -- "has more to do with retiring baby boomers than frustrated job seekers abandoning their searches." The article noted that claims that Americans are voluntarily leaving the workforce to receive Disability Insurance instead of working, for example, "may be exaggerated," and explained that retirees and students made up a far more significant portion of those leaving the labor force. ...
However, the Journal has previously pushed the myth that Disability Insurance accounted for much of the dropping labor force participation rate. An April 10 article headlined "Workers Stuck in Disability Stunt Economic Recovery" claimed that workers receiving disability benefits were costing the economy billions by not instead participating in the labor force, and quoted economist Michael Feroli's claim that "worker flight to the Social Security Disability Insurance program accounts for as much as a quarter of the puzzling drop in participation rates, a labor exodus with far-reaching economic consequences." These claims are in direct contradiction to the Journal's most recent reporting.

3 comments:

  1. I posted comments in the"ALJ Union Continues To Make Friends And Influence People". This article about the wsj proves my postion,their are people prejudiced or at least have negative views about who is disabled.

    Disability is a complex issue.

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  2. The ALJ who commented about their 8hr work day in the "ALJ Union Continues..." thread should be slapped. You get paid over $100K a year and only expect to work 8hrs a day??? Are you hourly? I don't think so! I don't know any salaried workers who work less than 50hrs a week, and many work a lot more than that! Complaining about emails and a training once every 3 mos.??? Give me a break!!! You're expected to hit at least 500 decisions in 250 work days so quit using 700 as if it's the only number that'll keep you out of trouble (as if a seim-sternly worded email from a supervisor could be considered troubling).

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  3. I've heard a lot about the so called "disability years" for the baby boomers. At what age can they expect to become disabled? Is if the same age for everyone?

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