Everybody Missed The Story . . . For A Reason
I recently banged out a post commenting on a news source I still (kinda) trust, National Public Radio involving the "hidden" disability benefits story. I called it a "great piece of investigative journalism" without considering the flaws in the story. Worse, I didn't consider what I myself have been noticing for years now, that private forces
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If it makes you feel any better, I didn't read the article you linked to when I read your prior post. The points I added were based on observations from anecdotes told to me by other people who have applied for (and sometimes received) disability and felt like sharing their experiences. They were also based on observations from my job, although I don't feel like elaborating on what my job is on the internet. That said, I know my view tunnels due to the slice of American pie I deal with, so I don't consider it entirely representative of reality.
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On trusting the media, I do take everything I read with a grain of salt because reporting in general has been more and more biased in my generation than ever before for reasons such as corporate and political sponsorship. The fact that public news sources like PBS and NPR have struggled to find funding because of legislation and corporate takeovers (like AOL Time Warner, and then Clear Channel) puts them in a very tight spot and many of them will compromise on things they shouldn't. Journalists also, I think, aren't as great as they used to be. So many of them go to school just for journalism without majoring in something else that will help them to direct their writing with some other area of expertise like ( ... )
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Oh, yes. A bunch of guys and gals at work hit retirement benefits age, retire, start drawing their pension and SSI, and then return to work. For the company (transit) they're great; already trained, often with decades of safe operation. Win-win.
The stickiness comes when they have to limit their hours to avoid the SSI penalty (and, more recently, the pension earnings cap that can stop their pensions cold). They sometimes have to take lots of unpaid leave just to avoid going over their limits (which is not really a burden, since they technically are retired).
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But thanks for writing all this. I too heard that piece and uncritically accepted its reporting.
I kinda hope for the day when the CPB does get zeroed-out, or when our community radio station gets self-supporting so we can take or leave the CPB grants. I am all in favor of public funding for radio, but I do not think the government is the best way to provide that. It just makes NPR into another political football.
I've noticed a decline in technical quality from NPR as well, and suspect they are having difficulty retaining skilled staff.
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I am all in favor of public funding for radio, but I do not think the government is the best way to provide that. It just makes NPR into another political football. And I am of the opposite opinion, that forcing them to fend for their fundraising through advertising makes the political football simply private rather than public. If they were adequately funded. . . . How about a tax on radio and television advertising distributed primarily where it is collected? It would be easier to manage than the BBC's telly license scheme, and would keep the congressional ax and the threat it poses at bay. It would take legislation that won't pass in our lifetimes, but it would be effective ( ... )
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