Not all that long ago, a man and woman were featured on National Geographic's Taboo program for their different lifestyle. Stanley Thornton Jr., 30, lives as a baby to his roommate, Sandra Dias, complete with bottle feedings and diapers.
Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., has asked the Social Security Administration's inspector general to look into the disability benefits Thornton receives, saying in the show that Thornton seems capable of employment.
“Given that Mr. Thornton is able to determine what is appropriate attire and actions in public, drive himself to complete errands, design and custom-make baby furniture to support a 350-pound adult and run an Internet support group, it is possible that he has been improperly collecting disability benefits for a period of time,” Coburn wrote to Inspector General Patrick P. O'Carroll Jr.
And you know, Coburn might have a point. Thornton disagrees, however, and is threatening to commit suicide if the government takes his benefits away, insisting that he can't survive without them. He says the show overstated his abilities. He says the support group takes, at most, four hours a month, and the furniture merely required the drilling of a couple of holes.
Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., has asked the Social Security Administration's inspector general to look into the disability benefits Thornton receives, saying in the show that Thornton seems capable of employment.
“Given that Mr. Thornton is able to determine what is appropriate attire and actions in public, drive himself to complete errands, design and custom-make baby furniture to support a 350-pound adult and run an Internet support group, it is possible that he has been improperly collecting disability benefits for a period of time,” Coburn wrote to Inspector General Patrick P. O'Carroll Jr.
And you know, Coburn might have a point. Thornton disagrees, however, and is threatening to commit suicide if the government takes his benefits away, insisting that he can't survive without them. He says the show overstated his abilities. He says the support group takes, at most, four hours a month, and the furniture merely required the drilling of a couple of holes.