Rand Paul, the conservative republican senator from Kentucky who caters to the religious right, says he needs to see it to believe it. In stark contrast to his ability to believe in a God that has no proof of existence, Ron Paul’s spawn apparently thinks that?anxiety cannot be physically seen, and therefore is not a real disability.
In his recent visit to New Hampshire, the probable 2016 presidential hopeful said:
What I tell people is, if you look like me and you hop out of your truck, you shouldn’t be getting your disability check. Over half of the people on disability are either anxious or their back hurts. Join the club…Who doesn’t get up a little anxious for work every day and their back hurts.
Paul’s office quickly started damage control, though, claiming that his statements were taken out of context. And by “out of context”, what they really meant was that he was caught saying what he actually thought. But, Rand Paul clarified in a statement released Wednesday afternoon:
We absolutely should take care of those truly in need of help. But the system is broken, and when people can game the system, they are stealing from those who are truly disabled and won’t receive the care and aid they need.
However, he did not redact his original sentiment that those with disabilities that are not psychically visible are gaming the system. His comments are a slap in the face to those living with crippling anxiety, as well as any other debilitating mental illness that does not prevent a person from looking like Rand Paul or “jumping out of a truck.” Thankfully, Rand Paul currently does not have the ability to rewrite disability guidelines. Let’s keep it that way.
