McCain - Permanent Disability?

[vfrride]

Daily Kos - McCain's FinancialsMcCain receives 100% disability (since 1980) which means he is physically unable to work. I guess being a Congressman is not work, for which he gets paid $162,000. Oh yeah, and he gets Social Security $23,157, which he called "a disgrace

Comments

[binxcat]

I just read the article and a few links back about his disabilities. What he is service connected for- it is not meant to be interpreted as "cannot work."

"Service connected" and "disabled" are used interchangably quite often, but they shouldn't be. He has injuries that were fully caused by events from the service and place significant limitations on his life (don't know enough to judge if *i* think it should be 100% or not but that's irrelevant).

He was a POW, tortured, for over 5 years. That alone is alomost certainly enough to get him 100% for PTSD based on the previously mentioned benefit of the doubt- and I think justifiably so. I don't care if he is God, living through that kind of hell deserves some kind of compensation, and since he can't be given his life back money is the only thing there is. McCain just happened to make it in politics- there are lots morelike him out there.

I once had to interview a 23ish vet who looked like he was about 14 for service connection for depression. He was well dressed, intelligent- the only thing that SEEMED wrong with him was that he had a barely noticable limp when he walked. Read his file and you find that his entire leg was blown off by a land mine in Kosovo. His limp was due to a prosthesis. Depressed?? Connected to his military service? I was offended that I even had to interview him.

Now what if he runs for president some day, and people lock on to the "disability" he has had since age 23? It is a disability, but it doesn't mean that he is a total life invalid - and because he is capable of working, it does not mean that he is not deserving of every penny he receives.