Would you fake sever mental retardation for $23000 a year.?

I'm not referring to any case. I don't live in the states. Would you do it if it was tax free and you got accommodation? Most peole don't even earn $23000 in a year in the US.

That would depend a lot on the circumstances. If this were with all the same conditions and requirements as existing government programs, then absolutely not. It's illegal, I'd be taking money away from programs that need it, and I wouldn't be able to do the things I wanted to do. But since it's a hypothetical situation, I'd do under the following conditions:

1. It's not illegal.

2. It's not taking money away from any other programs, or denying services to others who legitimately need it. Ideally the constraints of real-world economics wouldn't apply to this hypothetical world, and the money could appear from nowhere without causing inflation, but I would also be ok with it if the money would otherwise have gone to further line the pockets of a wealthy and corrupt government official or corporate executive. Just so long as taking the money wouldn't be hurting anyone else who had any legitimate claim on it.

3. They weren't going to check up on what else I was doing, and the information that I was receiving the money would not be publicly available. I'm currently in college, and planning on going into scientific research. It would be pretty obvious to anyone looking at my achievements thus far that I'm not mentally retarded, and being diagnosed as such would probably hurt my chances of employment in academia. I'm definitely not willing to give that up for $23,000 a year (even though that definitely exceeds my current annual income as a college student which is somewhere in the negative $40,000 range), so I'd only do it if it weren't going to get in the way of everything else.

So if I could go in and fake it for a few tests and interviews without having any negative consequences anywhere else, then I'd do it. Otherwise, no way.

Hells to the yizeah I would.

Definatly not...thats barely enough to live off of.

Never.

No. See, I have this funny thing that I do called "not breaking the law." And that would be felony fraud.

no, i wouldn't want to live a life of lies

No I think thats wrong...don't pretent to be something your not to get money....

I don't have to fake it.

No.

$23,000 is not that much, faking mental retardation would prevent you from doing all that much to supplement it, and keeping up a charade like that would be taxing.

No way. its degrading.

if i thought i could pull it off i would

You cant.

1.) You will be figured out very easily
2.) There is a cut off age for an official diagnosis of MR/DD in most states, usually at about age 22. (Its possible to go undiagnosed if you are from a really dysfunctional family, but butween 18-22 they usually become homeless, which is when they are diagnosed)

If you are not diagnosed, you would be diagnosed with mental illness, which is what you would have if you were trying to fake MR

um, no, thats just wrong

No way. I wouldn't sell myself that short. Look at Bush. He's making $200,000. a year, and he's not faking it.

Admittedly that's more than I clear right now...

Hell NO!

a) Fraud & Jail
b) Pretending to be of exceptionally low intelligence is EXTEMELY difficult...unless you are.
c) While it is admittedly deficient, I have a work ethic.

Depends, would it require me to misspell words like 'severe,' even though I have a handy spell check feature?
Dee dee dee!

No - couldn't afford to reduce my income.

Are you referring to the case in I believe it was Washington- where the mother had coached her children into faking they were developmentally disabled for over 20 years? They got much more than 23,000 - supposedly they are now also going to get some jail time........and ordered to pay some restitution.

i'm not that mentally retarded to do that.

If you had mental retrdation, you would not receive that much. Also, whatever you do receive would be controlled by someone else because you would be deemed unable to care for yourself. You would not have control over where you live, who you live with or how you live since all of your money would be controlled.

$23,000 is not worth that hassle.

absolutely not, I couldn't live a lie that'd be so unethical. It'd be such an empty, unfufilling life. Plus once I graduate college I will make more than that anyways

NO! It is soooo wrong and by the way the average American does make over $23000.00. Get your facts straight!

yup!!!!

I don't even have to fake it.

I thought that they paid the president more than that...