Disability benefits and parasiting on society
I've got Disability Benefits in Denmark. In Denmark it is called "early retirement pension", that literally means you have retired. I recieved this when I was 19 years old, not because of my AS, but because of the problems AS causes.
Currently there is a very low unemployment rate, and the employers scream for labour force.
I sometimes feel like I am parasiting on society...
Is full disability benefit (in the form of retirement) parasiting on society?
No, a system where the poor and disabled are left to rot isnt what i would call a 'society' (or at least any that i would feel proud of)
Its unsettling that the government equates disablement with retirement - it precludes any sort of rehabilitation or chance of recovery for the individual.
Link
There is a strong focus on reducing the number of early retirement pensioners and in recent years, various schemes have been introduced to retain potential early retirement pensioners on the labour market and enable existing early retirement pensioners to exploit their remaining capacity for work, in so-called ‘easier jobs’.
I know you live in Denmark, but it it somewhat like that here in the U.S.
There is little focus on training and educating people on welfare and disability to try to find something they COULD do, at least part time. It could be mandatory for people who are able to work (like people who abuse the welfare system) and voluntary for people on disability. There is little incentive for many people to go off welfare when they are only able to get jobs that pay less than not working. Can you really blame people for not working when any job they get would be horrible and not allow them to take care of themselves? Yet the U.S. really refuses to subsidize education or career training for the lower classes. There are plenty of people who weren't able to attend college that could benefit from learning a specific trade that's in high demand, like nursing or tutoring children or something.
As for the disabled, I don't think they should be forced to work, but if they voluntarily want to work part time, there is always something they could do, if they were given some assistance or training to find a job. It would take away some of the shame and guilt people feel about being disabled. The way the system is now, they pretty much just give you a check that isn't enough money to live on and you are forced to stay at home and not be able to take part in life at all. They "punish" the disabled by giving them just enough money to live in poverty without offering hope of them being able to find meaningful work that they CAN do.
I don't know how it is in Denmark, but it seems that the government would get further by enabling people who are either partially or fully disabled to lead more enriched lives where they could contribute in some way.