SmashMouth

If anyone of those injuries was sustained in the private sector, the affected employee could sue the pants off their employer and end up with a huge settlement and/or continued payments. Usually not so with a member of the military. And what is the deal with PTSD? Do you not think it can be debilitating? I'm only guessing you never killed people or got shot at for a living... I can remember my Mom (a former Woman Marine) telling me stories of my Dad (Sgt. Major, USMC who retired after 30 years of service) returning from combat. After a couple purple hearts, a couple bronze stars with combat V for Valor and a host of other commendations during 2 tours in Viet Nam, after losing several very close friends in combat (some in front of his own eyes), after having to write letters to kid's parents letting them know their sons were heroes but weren't coming home, after being spit on and cursed at the airport when he returned home as "thanks" for his service, I can only imagine the stories she told me of how he was affected were only a scratch on the surface. Luckily, he was able to persevere and didn't retire from the USMC until the mid 80's. Not all guys were as tough (on the surface) as my Dad. I could never imagine him showing weakness at all. But to hear her tell me stories of him waking up in a cold sweat, sometimes wetting the bed or crying out in the night or launching himself to the floor when he heard a plane flying overhead even months after returning home made me a believer of how tragic that experience could be. He passed away from non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (cancer/leukemia) attributed to the Agent Orange (kinda like round up on steroids) he would march through, sleep in, be covered in during his time in the field. They were kind enough to provide him a flag, a gun salute and inurnment at Arlington National Cemetery. Though never on disability, he did have full retirement for the rest of his life, though cut short. I think he earned it.

Working With a 100% Disability Rating The VA uses the severity of your health condition to calculate how much disability compensation you qualify for, assigning a disability rating ranging from zero to 100 percent. No matter where you fall on this scale, veterans can still legally work, even full-time, even at a 100 percent disability rating (single or combined). However, to collect TDIU benefits, veterans must show that their service-connected disability renders them unable to maintain “substantially gainful employment.” Working While Collecting TDIU Benefits From the above, it sounds like veterans who get TDIU benefits can’t work at all. But this is not the case. Under certain criteria, veterans can still earn money while collecting TDIU benefits. Self-Employment and Freelance Work What if a veteran earns a little side money, helps out a local business, sells collectibles or artwork online? Can they still collect TDIU benefits? Yes. As long as the veteran doesn’t have “substantially gainful employment,” they can still work and receive TDIU benefits. So what qualifies as substantially gainful employment? As of March 2019, VA defines substantially gainful employment as “employment that is ordinarily followed by the nondisabled to earn their livelihood with earnings common to the particular occupation in the community where the veteran resides.” Therefore, if you earn an annual amount that’s above the poverty line for your area (as set by the Census Bureau), the VA can discontinue your TDIU benefits. Therefore, a veteran who sells items on eBay or receives money for small side jobs can still collect TDIU disability benefits – as long as they aren’t making more than the poverty line in their area. Marginal Employment and TDIU Benefits Another way veterans can work while receiving TDIU benefits is to earn money from “marginal employment.” VA considers several different scenarios as marginal employment, including: Working less than part-time hours for a particular job. Collecting less than half the average wage for a particular job. Working for family or friends in a job tailored to your abilities (protected employment)

1. I didn't say you lied. Perhaps you don't understand what invoke means or possibly how using Trudeau as an example of those who think Trump is laughable was/is a very poor choice on your part. I try to be very civil to you because most people run you through the mud pretty hard - sometimes to the point of overkill. But you make it difficult to not be made fun of. If I may, perhaps you should think a little more before you post. Just some friendly advice. 2. Btw, what other world leaders laughed at him? Whatever the case, no one is laughing now...

Good point. I think he'd make an exception just to tee off the woke left though. Lol.

I agree 100%. I couldn't work from home and do a quality job. Too many outside distractions and quite frankly, not disciplined enough to stay on task. And I'm the boss! Lol. But if an employee is accountable for a certain standard of output and they meet those standards, I personally don't have a huge issue. It saves money in other ways too. Less office space required, utilities, all the way down to the coffee bar... But that only works in certain environments. We have certain functions in our office that require on-hands & on-site interaction - namely, our accounting department. Off-site workers would not be acceptable in that case for me. The biggest message in my original post was to concentrate on efficiencies of scale. Don't have 5 people in a department when 3 could do the job whether on or off-site. Set employees to a standard and don't accept crappy output.

I don't have as big an issue of remote working (and for the record, I work on-site - not remotely) as I do the massive inefficiency of government in the first place. Get rid of unnecessary bureaucracy, unneeded positions and make government employees accountable for their output. That will probably handle the remote working issue in the first place. Remote working actually makes sense for some positions (many of them tech related).

Trump needs to make him Secretary of Transportation. Lol.

Well, I wasn't going to say anything, but..

What did Phelan do that makes you want him to stay as the Speaker? I really don't care if he won the speakership again or not, I'm just wondering what your take is.

That position is not as powerful as some may think, btw...

Not. 😇

On this, we agree.

Good job young men. Be proud.

Why would you invoke Trudeau to anyone more than a total moron? His approval rating is hovering around 28% in Canada. I think it will only get lower as the Canadians standby and watch America get Greater Again through Trump. Ma'am, I think you mean well, but you sure say some silly things...

Well, not for that reason. His son could go wherever he goes... That being said, I don't believe leaving is in the current plans.

I misunderstood his post. I was thinking he was talking about H and not one of the assistants.

As years go by, that phrase seems less and less relevant.

Please don't ever change it... Lmao. That's perfect!

In true Cardinal fashion, he "opted" for a different situation. Lol.

Yep. I know. Just poking the bear (Cardinal).

Was there a bet?

I'm sure Trump would've pardoned one of his kids. I'm sure I would have too, depending upon the circumstances. I have a larger problem with Joe Biden and his admin saying literally dozens of times that he was not going to pardon Hunter and then turning around and flagrantly doing it. Acting as if there was a good reason (other than political) for saying he wouldn't and then did anyway. And here's the kicker, not only for current charges, but for anything that's discovered from 2014 to 2024. You can try and spin this any way you like. No example you come up with will compare with this. None.

You sure about that?

Honestly, I would have pardoned the goofy bastard too. Just like Trump also said he would've done. It was a sensationalized case. Only difference is, Biden was stupid enough to say he wouldn't do it, originally.

👍 Oh. I was thinking most thought Wrong Place Wrong Time. Lol.