It is starting to look like those forces that want to undermine, or even vanquish, the Social Security disability program will stop at nothing. The latest tool seems to be academic fraud. In an Op-Ed piece in the Wall Street Journal, a “visiting scholar” at George Mason University and a graduate student made absurdly false claims about Social Security disability. (Perhaps the visiting scholar should visit reality, now and again, or even Ethics 101.) Fortunately, Michael Hiltzik in the Los Angeles Times caught them. His expose notes that the Professor and his would-be professor assistant had to go back to 2008 in order to find numbers that support their claims. The more recent, and readily available, data from Social Security, would show that their positions are false. The “visiting scholar” even suggested that some of the judges with “too high” approval ratings should be removed. That is a rather shocking statement. It belies a total disregard for the integrity of the judiciary. The message seems to be: decide cases the way we want them decided, or we will fire you. That’s a great idea. The “scholar” and his aide also make wild accusations about forum shopping and other practices that are virtually impossible.
How ironic: The “visiting scholar” gets a salary from taxpayers to sit in his office and tell lies –and then attack other people for being unworthy of government largesse.
I know that the Wall Street Journal editorial board is laughably, absurdly right-wing. But don’t we deserve better from a “visiting scholar” at a university that wants to be taken seriously?
