Trading Places with Bill O'Reilly

Last week on Fox News Bill O'Reilly said that "since 2009, 3.2 million people have left their jobs to go on disability."

"Left" their jobs? I didn't leave. I was told I was no longer needed.

I was laid off in October 2008. My unemployment benefits ran out in June 2010. My savings ran out by January 2011 (when I filed for disability). It's now July 2012. I've already received the "mandatory" two written rejection notices on my disability claim from the Social Security office -- and I'm still waiting for a hearing. If I had a hearing next month I wouldn't receive my first check until January 2013...or 4 years and 3 months since I "left my job".

So far I'm 3 years and 8 months out of work, 2 years with no income at all, and 1 and 1/2 years into a disability claim that may, or may not, be eventually approved.

Not to mention the pain and suffering...not just from my physical afflictions, but from the exasperating amount of paperwork one needs to fill out when dealing with a government bureaucracy.

Also: Long lines waiting in the rain to renew a Medicaid card every two months. And more paperwork and phone interviews and long lines outside in the hot sun for food stamps. Doctors appointments and more paperwork. I left a $40,000 a year job for all this fun? One has to be totally destitute to even quality for these "benefits". Is being so poor really worth these "free government hand-outs"?

I accept them because I have no other choice -- it's for my survival. I worked my ass off for 35 years without using these "entitlements", now I need them for my survival.

3.2 million people "left" their jobs to take a chance of going on the government dole for half their previous salary with no income at all in between? I don't think so!

Multi-millionaires like Bill O'Reilly have no clue at all what it's like to live in the "real world". Perhaps, just like in the movie "Trading Places", me and Bill can trade places. He couldn't live on my income or my government "benefits".