Tammy Duckworth Eviscerates Contractor Who Claimed Veterans Disability

[imnotasquirrel]

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(The embedded video isn't showing up in the preview, so in case it doesn't work, you can see it here. Watch it, it's beautiful

Comments

[revertigo]

women in government are just kicking ass, taking names and getting shit done left and right

[d00ditsemily]

yassss your icon

[otana]

This is why we need more women politicians. We get shit done.

[wrestlingdog]

Love the hell out of your icon!

[d00ditsemily]

I can't believe he got a 30% disability rating... My husband got 20%, it must have been easier back then or something.

But she was amazinggggg.

[nextdrinksonme]

Duckworth pointed out that she only got 20% for her arm being blown off and reattached, which she only has partial feeling in. WTF.

My boyfriend has a 0% rating, even though his back is so screwed up from carrying all of the equipment they had to carry in Afghanistan that two of his disks are out of place to the point that they're pressing against the sac around the spinal cord and, if he falls the wrong way, he could be paralyzed (they're doing PT to try and get them back into place, but he'll most likely need surgery). He's in constant, chronic pain that isn't even alleviated with pain meds and muscle relaxers and it interferes with most every aspect of his life. And this dude gets 30% because he twisted his ankle in military school and then didn't even bother to actually join the military. AAARG angry.

[d00ditsemily]

Disability rating is based off range of motion for a lot of it too. It's totally fucked up. Some people get out with ratings with diabetes and asthma but then some people get low low ratings on physical body issues.

[ladyjj]

#BRILLIANCE

[gambitia]

Oh wow, I didn't know she was a double amputee until this comment. Damn does that make her statement more powerful.

[imnotasquirrel]

I was reading the comments on another site, and someone was worrying that Duckworth blaming people like Castillo (i.e. frauds) for the current backlog could lead to assholes treating this the same way they treat things like welfare, where they want to make cuts or criticize beneficiaries because lol they're all fakes. I hadn't thought about that angle.

[skellington1]

It was my first thought, honestly -- but I agree with dorknessrising that it's a damned-if-you-do/damned-if-you-don't situation.

[moonshaz]

I understand your concern, but if that happens, I don't think it will be because of Duckworth "blaming people like Castillo." It'll be because of assholes like Castillo gaming the system.

If Castillo and his ilk really are clogging up the system, creating longer waits and making it harder for people with legitimate, serious, service-related disabilities to get the benefits they need and deserve, as Duckworth so eloquently pointed out (and she is in a position to know), then I think they SHOULD be called out and exposed for their disgusting behavior.

Also--I could be wrong, but I honestly think that most Americans recognize that this country OWES a DEBT to people who have suffered genuine misfortunes such as disabilities in the process of serving it, in spite of douchebags like Castillo who try to snitch something for themselves that they have no right to. At least I hope so.

[beokitty]

NPR did a peice on disability and basically said it was the new welfare. Very interesting stuff - if you read the NPR peie and the criticisms of it http://apps.npr.org/unfit-for-work/... )

[chaya]

I highly recommend watching the video... she may as well have dropped that bendy-mic.

[imnotasquirrel]

"I'm so glad that you would be willing to play football at prep school again to protect this great country," Duckworth said sarcastically.

[chaya]

IFKR

[red_pill]

you know, im sure he didnt deserve the rating befor the hearing

but im sure, with all the burn, he counted as more then thirty percent afterward