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2011-03-31 -Short Attention Span Theater-

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Posted by Fred 2011-03-31 00:00|| E-Mail|| Front Page|| [11127 views ] Top

#1 Ugh. That's even worse than the cases of 'status derelictus' I used to care for. You know, the ones whose back-pocket flask of whiskey is frozen solid and who bite off the rectal thermometer even when used correctly.

Posted by Anguper Hupomosing9418 2011-03-31 00:54|| 2011-03-31 00:54|| Front Page Top

#2 See page 1191, Section C, Para 4. "Chairfusing" while waivorable for certain union members, is covered under Obamacare.

Posted by Besoeker 2011-03-31 01:29|| 2011-03-31 01:29|| Front Page Top

#3 The man has since died.

Posted by crosspatch 2011-03-31 02:22|| 2011-03-31 02:22|| Front Page Top

#4 I pointed this out to Gloria, forgetting for the moment that she has no tolerance for the gross. I stand by my snark, but she's right: there's a lot more to it, and it's a serious lot.

It's illustrative of the difference between a society that strives for "equality of outcome" by creating bureaucratic organizations where people sit for extended periods in plastic chairs waiting for their names to be called and their cases processed and a society that actually cares -- government cheese versus the parish priest or the rabbi or the minister stopping by to see how you are, fill in a form versus remembering your name. (See no mo uro's excellent comments here, which should have been an opinion piece in itself...)

The guy sat in the chair for two years, excreting regularly, bathing not at all, consuming enough food to keep him large enough to be stuck, and nobody with the least bit of sense seemingly noticed.

What kind of society lets that happen?

Why do we employ an army of social workers and social welfare bureaucrats who allow little children to be starved and beaten and not taken away from the parents who abuse them? Who allow the aged and the infirm, the helpless and the incompetent, to "fall through the cracks" with soul numbing regularity?

And every time somebody falls through the cracks there's some dimwit on the teevee intoning that "we have to learn from this incident," while somehow we never seem to learn. It always happens again and everybody's just so surprised...

The guy lived (and according to crosspatch's comment died) in disgusting circumstances. Every policeman and firefighter and EMT knows that a percentage of the population lives in conditions that are just as disgusting. But the cops, firefighters, and EMTs aren't the guys who are responsible for getting them out of those conditions -- they're the guys who're responsible for cleaning up the mess.

"Outcome egalitarianism" is in its death throes, though I suspect it will outlive me by a year or two. It would probably be a good idea for some smart fellow (or lady) somewhere to start thinking about what kind of society would avoid its now ever so obvious pitfalls and still take care of big fat guys stuck in chairs for a couple of years, or the crazy old lady with 43 cats, or the guy who stalks up and down the city sidewalks screaming at non-existent adversaries. The alternative is dark ages.

When I was a little kid in the 50s the parish priest would stop by and see how we were doing. When times were hard, and they usually were, there was a turkey for Thanksgiving and another at Christmas, courtesy of the church. There were toys and often clothes for the kids courtesy of the Salvation Army.

It's too bad you can't go home again.

Posted by Fred 2011-03-31 10:06|| 2011-03-31 10:06|| Front Page Top

#5 Chances are, "girlfriend" and "roomate" took just enough care of this guy to keep his guvmint/disability/welfare check coming in so they could add it to their pile. They only called for help when it looked like their gravy train was leaving the station.
Coming up next, the investigation, which will find that "the system" failed. In reality, the system worked just the way it was supposed to.

Posted by tu3031 2011-03-31 11:32|| 2011-03-31 11:32|| Front Page Top

#6 Fred brings up an era past when the church of voluntary membership took care of one another, but now multiculturalism accepts all lifestyles as valid and believes we should not impose our beliefs on one another, but readily accepts and expects egalitarian outcomes when worshipping at the altar of government bureaucracy. Just read another case of a young fetal alcohol syndrome victim was tortured to death and no one checked on her--in Utah where the chances are extremely high your neighbors are church-going Mormons! Be grateful if you have family and friends that care but sometimes there simply isn't anything we can do for those who don't want to be helped unless it is unconditionally, even excluding God's help.

Posted by Glinetch Bucket9611 2011-03-31 12:38|| 2011-03-31 12:38|| Front Page Top

#7 TU nailed it. Geraniums are much prettier and easier to grow. Unfortunately they don't produce Social Security Disability checks. Next please, NEXT!

Posted by Besoeker 2011-03-31 12:42|| 2011-03-31 12:42|| Front Page Top

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