Being an adult baby is a disability. So is laziness, it would appear.
"He's 30 years old, is bottle fed, wears diapers, can't hold a job and oh yeah, you and I are paying for him. Meet Stanley Thornton Jr, adult baby. Yes, I said adult baby. Thornton Jr jumped onto the radar when Oklahoma's own money hawk, Senator Tom Coburn found out Stanley and his roomate are living on disability. Coburns response, "doesn't surprise me at all."
The good Senator says one out of 19 Americans, not counting disabled veterans, are collecting SSDI. The shocking thing is, Coburn believes 40% of that is fraud. "We had a federal worker, a postal worker who collected $300,000 in disability while she was still working at the post office" Coburn said. Another man was living in a house valued at over one million dollars yet he was drawing government assistance. So what's wrong here? Senator Coburn thinks it starts at the top. "The problem is the incompentancy of the leadership of the Social Security administration, a guy named Michael Astrue." Coburn thinks the agency has gotten into a mentality of approving everyone who applies but he says we can't afford that. The Senator says if we continue along this trail, the system will be bankrupt in 2014.
But back to Stanley Thorton Jr. Coburn almost blew his top when he saw the story on the Nat Geo show "Taboo" and began an investigation into the case. "We're waiting on the GAO to come back with details and the Social Security office to come back with details." The goal? Get help for those who need it and get those who don't, off the public dime.
Coburn his a solid opinion on why things have gotten to this point. "The thing that built our country is self reliance Rick, and what we've done is transfer self reliance into dependancy."
For his part Thornton Jr says he is disabled and can't hold a job. This despite the fact he runs an adult baby
support group website, bedwettingabdl.com. He also builds "baby" furniture for adults. Yes, a high chair capable of holding a 300 pound man.
Senator Coburn disagrees, he thinks Stanley could work if he wanted to. Coburn wrote to Inspector General Patrick P. O'Caroll Jr with the following opinion. "Given that Mr. Thornton is able to determine what is appropriate attire and actions in public, drive himself to complete errands, design and custom-make baby furniture to support a 350-pound adult and run an Internet support group, it is possible that he has been improperly collecting disability benefits for a period of time."
See the video of Stanley below and oh yes, we want your opinions on our poll as well as in the comment section below."
http://www.krmg.com/news/news/local/why-your-money-paying-guys-2x-huggies/nCqjW/
