from the 8.14.07 print edition of the herald-gazette:
the imagery is from talented cartoonist ric leonard who formerly lived here on greenwood street.
By Walter Geiger
How sorry can you get?
That’s the question I asked myself after stumbling over testimony in what I found to be a disturbing case in court recently. I was there to report on another matter but this one reared its ugly head.
A father and son - Senior and Junior - were in court on a theft case - a petty theft unless, of course, the stolen goods belonged to you.
It seems Senior and Junior had pulled well off a state highway to relieve themselves near a shed on private property adjacent to a commercial venture that is active primarily on weekends. The theft occurred during the week.
While near the shed, Senior and Junior stole some items they said they thought had been “abandoned” and loaded them into their van for resale. Well, the plans for resale went awry, somebody spilt the beans and Senior and Junior ended up in the crossbar motel.
From the testimony, I knew the exact location of the shed. The property has not been abandoned. Additionally, Senior and Junior were within two miles of two separate convenience stores with restroom facilities, casting further doubt upon their account of events.
Senior and Junior were in court to plead guilty, take their punishment and get on with their lives.
Senior, pushing 50, told the judge he was disabled in an automobile accident as a teenager and has not worked since. He draws supplemental income from Social Security.
This testimony raised the hackles on my back.
This man was well over six feet tall and, perhaps, a stolen ham biscuit shy of 275 pounds. He did not appear disabled in any way.
He and Junior had loaded some relatively large items from the shed into their van without any apparent problem. The scam alert and sorriness warning devices in my head began sounding the alarm.
Is this, I asked myself, what Social Security is supposed to be about? I was convinced the man was no more disabled than myself and had been running a game on the taxpayers for at least 30 years.
Do the people at the Social Security Administration even bother to verify such claims or do they just hand out the money of those of us who work and pay into the system without regard for the truth or giving a damn?
I sized Senior up as one sorry SOB of a Dad engaged in leading his son down the same path to sorriness. From the looks of him, Junior was taking well to his birthright.
We see sorriness around us every day. We see so much of it, we have grown to expect it - become immune to it.
People fake disabilities all the time. They brag about “getting a check” and others look up to them for it. Our government promotes sorriness with countless entitlement programs we are told are necessary but are not.
We, as a society, lack the intestinal fortitude to stand up, shout ‘enough is enough’ and demand people make at least some semblance of an effort to support themselves before the government opens our wallets against our wills and supports them with our hard earned money.
These things ran through my head in the courtroom. My blood boiled.
Fearing a contempt of court charge, I did not stand in the courtroom to protest.
I regret that now.
Sorry Senior and equally sorry Junior left the courtroom with a slap on the wrist.
They’re probably under a shade tree right now, beating the heat with a cold one purchased in part with my money and yours while planning their next heist.
I count myself among those to blame for their sad state of sorriness!
8 comments:
The troublesome part to me is the actions of the judge. His not dealing with this crime severely, to reduce the chance for it occurring again. I guess we all get to live and learn. It is my hope the legal system will make examples of those who are prominent, and commit crimes, as well as those, who take an unfair advantage of the system, and brag about it.
Why not have a team of police or military personel that travels the state randomly checking these so called disabled people or better yet the welfare moochers.
If they find you drunk or high on Gov. time (this is for the welfare people especialy), witch is during normal working hours for any other state employee, you are fired and will no longer be able to draw this income. If you are sober and grounded then you will be asked to wee-wee in a cup and if you come back positive for drugs you are fired and will no longer be able to draw this income. You have now gotten fired from welfare or social security if you really shouldn't be drawing it and are on your own. You are the scum of the Earth, congradulations.
If you have kids, take care of them by getting a job or whatever you gotta do to make a living as long as it doesn't harm anyone else and there will be no problem. If you fail to meet the requirements for keeping your kids healthy and in a home you will no longer be with them, they will be taken by the state because of your neglect. No one is at fault but yourself! If you would have stayed clean on Gov. time you would still have your kids and a check for doing absolutely nothing but staying clean.
If they do already have something like this I have never heard of it but I would love to give them some places to look. I could keep them busy for a long, long time!
Rev.
I have to totally agree about the drug screens. If you are drawing a government check of any kind, then you should follow the rules of the workplace. Every job requires drug screens. If you are drawing unemployment you have to be ready willing and actively seeking work. That should mean able to pass a drug screen. Should be the same for welfare or social security.
12 40 let me run guard duty on the new bypass with my 44 you will not need a judge
Some people need welfare some people need social security. but the ones who need it cant get it cause all the extra money they get goes to teach americans to speak mexican so they can teach mexicans to speak american and get on welfaer.POWP
Walter, I can understand someone being upset about a thief or even having a problem with some who abuse the welfare system. I hate thieves, lazy people that want handouts, and also people who have plenty that still want more in the way of government subsidies and tax breaks. Somebody will have to make it up in the future, guess who it will be?
Why is it that if you steal gas they take your drivers license but if you steal any thing else oh you can keep them? If criminals know they will loose there license if there caught it will make a difference. And if they dont have license they cant drive to my house and get shot trying to steal my stuff. If you are charged with B&E it should be a minimum 1 year with no license and you should half to regester in your neighborhood just like a child molester. Let every body in your community know WE HAVE A THIEF LIVING HERE lock your door, turn the alarm on and loose the dog. These animals steal every thing you have worked all your life for and sell it for nothing! Then when they go before the judge they get charged less than some speeding tickets. And I ment no disrespect to any JUDGE. Im just sayin A thief should be punished at least as harshly as a dui or maby even a drug dealer.
12:45 p.m. Well said!!!! I have a step sister who draws a check because she can't get along with people. If that is really a reason to get disability then the largest majority of the people in the U.S. would be on disability. I have a problem with people who do not deserve to get these payments getting them while people who need it are refused. What does it take to get it. While another one of my friends who has lost both legs below the knees can't get hardly anything and what she does get she has to pay out for medical bills.
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