to collect benefits because it is hard to prove they are lying. On the other hand those who are truly suffering from chronic back pain are the new Reagan Welfare queens. Got to love the new American way of throwing those who suffer under the bus instead of going after fraud which includes doctors and lawyers who work together to allow the scammers to profit.

This is another reason for the spike in disability, especially in the south, where there is a higher level of diabetes and obesity, which precipitates other problems like strokes, kidney failure, amputations, heart disease, and yes, back problems. The South is also leading the country in clinical depression, another disabling disease. But, it's not only the South. The entire country has adopted the same Super-size it mentality toward it's life-style of diet and exercise. The writer said something about nurses's aides. A lot of hospitals and other companies have downsized their workers or gone on the cheap about hiring. Back pain from lifting heavy patients is a major cause of workplace injuries in healthcare. You're not supposed to lift a patient on your own, but I know from working in the health field, that when you're short-staffed and it's a madhouse out there, workers fear getting behind and just try to do the job by themselves. With predictable results. Yes, there's plenty of abuse of the system going on. But, a lot of it is our own lack of a healthy lifestyle choice. The average American today watches 8 hours of TV a day. I presume much of that includes snacking on Debbie Cakes, pizza and sodas.

There's some evidence of what you're describing, but obesity and diabetes don't correlate with the unemployment rate, while disability claims do.

Albeit mine is connected to neurological problems and organ damage related to my service in the Gulf Wars. Has any kind of correlation been done to connect vets with disability? There are 100,000 vets now that the VA conservatively believes have PTSD. Like I said, that's a conservative number, along with the tens of thousands that have actual combat injuries. Those of us with service-connected injuries or illnesses can draw VA disability and Social Security disability. But, there are about a million petitions in the VA system right now. Has any study been done on this?

That's a good question, but 800K out of 14 million probably wouldn't be that big of a dent in the overall trend.

also comparing apples to oranges when she states that she suffers from a sore back and her editor has one herniated disc. I myself have nine ruptured and herniated discs in my neck and lower back on top of having stenosis of the spine in both areas. Never mind degenerative disc disease and arthritis throughout my spine. Oh and by the way when I hurt my back I was 26 years old 5'10 and 155 lbs and no I do not collect a dime just dirty looks. This happen in 91 before all the Binder and Binder ads on TV.

She lives in a place where there are jobs in which having a herniated disk (or nine) isn't a barrier. Ethel has literally only seen one such job in her life, and has trouble processing the idea that there are more of them out there (because they aren't in that part of Alabama).

I just found it a bit condescending to those who suffer. I mean would they belittle the pain of a cancer patient even though they may not be able to see the suffering? I expect that type of backhanded remark from a Fox News reporter not NPR.

The issue isn't Ethel's pain, which Chana doesn't doubt, but the disconnect that Chana has worked with people with very bad back pain, because she lives somewhere with jobs that they can do, but Ethel lives somewhere with no jobs that don't require constant standing and lifting of things.

It's even more clear in the radio episode; she goes on to ask Ethel's husband (also on disability) if he ever thought about a job that doesn't require physical labor and he was puzzled by the very idea -- just like she was puzzled by the idea of a place where that's the only kind of job there is.