The loony Senator wants to reduce the disability rolls, because too many people are on them and because they’re gateways to “social plagues…such as heroin or meth addiction and associated crime.”

“When a county hits a certain level of disability usage disability becomes a norm. It becomes an acceptable way of life and alternative source of income to a good paying full time job as opposed to a last resort safety net program to deal with catastrophic injury and illness,” said Cotton in Heritage’s Washington D.C. office.

One wonders if Senator Cotton would tell the 8.4 percent of Arkansans receiving benefits that they’re slackers and ought to go find a “good paying full time job.” That’s the second-highest number (158,776 people aged 18-64) of beneficiaries of SSDI in the country, behind only Alabama with 8.5 percent.

Moreover, they should have to work while they’re disabled, and whatever they earn their benefits will be reduced by that amount. Finally, there will be a time limit on the benefits. They have to get better so they don’t need disability income any longer.

One wonders how that’s going to work. “Hey, you, the paraplegic injured on the job! You got five years, and then you’re going to have to find another source of income!”

Since the guy spent two tours overseas, one in Iraq and one in Afghanistan, you’d think he’d have some sympathy toward people with work-related injuries. I wonder how he feels about Vets with combat injuries.