Eileen had one leg shorter than the other.
The woman with one leg was Peg.
(I’m so ashamed right now.)
Anecdotal, but what the hell. My grandfather could walk short distances. He got a handicapped sticker so that he could actually walk into the place he was going (which usually had a seat so he could catch his breath). If he had to walk more than a few yards, he would collapse.
I had to drop what I was doing and go pick him up several times.
So in essences, yes there are some people out there who genuinely need the sticker.
Interesting numbers, jk1245. I’m not really surprised, actually. But I feel compelled to point out that when you make a statement like “gambling addiction has cost the US more…”, you need to take net cost into consideration. In other words, yes, gambling addiction* costs money, but it legalized gambling makes money for the gov’t. Which is why it’s legal. The question is, do the gains outweigh the losses?
Personally, I think the whole institution of state-run gambling is on very shaky moral ground. But it’s not likely to go away, simply because it makes so much money.
*I’m also a little uncomfortable with the term “gambling addiction”, since it’s not really an addiction as such. Perhaps “compulsive gambling” would be better?
Boy, this thread is really all over the place, isn’t it?
Gambling is too an addiction. Otherwise, I doubt there would be a Gambler’s Anonymous.
Hard drug addicts have been known to quit using only to take up gambling and get hooked on that.
Gambling is, of course, a psychological addiction, not a physical one. In other words, you’re not going to get headaches, tremors, or kick the air violently for no reason (a symptom of heroin withdrawl, and possibly the origin of the term “kicking the habit”) upon cessation of your gaming activities.
You may find yourself wishing you were dead because you’re not gambling, but it’s all in your head. Any significantly pleasurable activity can be addictive in this way.
I don’t know why any of you are surprised. This thread was like an engraved invitation for everyone with an axe to grind or an agenda to push to come and make baseless and controversial assertions and not get called to account for them, and it was like that from the very OP. If you’re going to go through it and pick out all the BS that was spewed in there, you’re in for a grueling task.
Sigh. . . .
You know what? I hate when people don;t take the time to think things through. . . I APOLOGIZE if I didn;t state my position clearly enough , but really people. . . .
Of course, there are many, many, many cases of those who are diabled and deserve to drive. But there are LOTS of others who abuse it.
In my City the police “crack down” every month of handicapp parking fraud. The most common ? People using grampa or grandpa’s handicapp tag to get a good parking space at the mall.
Last month 150+ people got snagged at the local mall for this.
Others use expired tags use spaces which block spaces for the truly handicapped.
I played rugby with a guy, rugby mind you, who got a legtimate handicapp tag. He can’t walk the few extra spaces, to get to the mall but can play rugby?
And in the case of the wife who drives a wheelchair bound husband to the store – by all means use the tag – but it should not be used when the husband is not with her. It only blocks those who truly deserve it – how many pregnant women have to walk further because someone was too lazy to park in a regular space?
Next time you are at the mall, take a look at those who park in those spaces. I would say that very few deserve it – and then look at how a good many will walk, unassisted all day at the mall.
I really believe each locality should have a volunteer board, with comprising of the disabled, to review the handicapped parking applications to see if they truly deserve it.
I don;t agree with the racist crap on my thread. . . nor did I write any of it.
But I won;t apologize for the viewing and airing of controversial ideas. You all had the power to type your ideas and counterpoints in as many threads as you want. You can dismantle me here. And, I can reply to your counterpoints, which I did here.
But if you are mad at ideas, well, that is a good thing. When we get angry and arew forced to defend, we come to a greater truth.
So while I am a little surpirsed at all this fuss, I really am glad that my thread generated discussion and thought. . .
With that. . .
FLAME AWAY!!!
furnisheq,
I agree with most of your points especially regarding people using their disabled relatives tags, people who use expired tags, etc. I took exception to this statement in particular in the OTHER thread:
My friend Connie is a great example. She had polio as a child and has LITTLE use of her legs- she uses either a wheelchair or hand crutches to get around. She drives with a modified truck. She uses the handicapped spot NOT because she can’t walk/wheel around for long, but because in a REGULAR spot there is no room to manuver around, get her wheelchair out and unfolded and situate herself in it. She needs those extra feet of space provided by the handicapped space. There simply isn’t room otherwise.
YOUR statement above was not seemingly about people who abuse handicapped spaces, it appeared to be a question about why someone who is disabled enough to need a handicapped tag bothers to go out to begin with since it’s a hardship to walk around anyway. That’s just ridiculous and wrong.
For what it’s worth, there are MANY people who have a handicapped tag that do not appear handicapped. You don’t know the problem and it’s not up to you to speculate, frankly. Many shopping centers and event venues offer wheelchairs inside or scooters for folks who have mobility problems (or breathing trouble), so even though they look fine walking in, you don’t know that they didn’t go get a wheelchair or scooter upon their arrival.
I have nothing more to say about this, but think about what I’ve said. I don’t argue with the points in the second post, but the statement I quoted sounds ignorant and silly.
I think you make excellent points. And I do apologize for my unclear orginal posting.
However, I take exception to say I have no right to “speculate”
On the contrary, I believe everyone has a right to “speculate” about anything and everything. The danger is when some people try to take their “speculation” and put it into “action”. (Hitler is a prime example of a horrible speculation (jews are inferior) put into horrfic action (the holocost)
In my case, I would have no right to force people into not parking in handicapp spaces.
Ideas, in and of themselves, are never, dangerous. But put the
wrong ideas into action, and, we are all in trouble.
That said, you make excellent points. Why aren’t those fortunate enough not to be disabled being educated about the need for handicapped spaces?
By the way, I always park in the farthest spots – it takes just as much time to walk from your car to the store than it does to spend your time driving around looking for a closer spot.
You are either back peddling your way out of your original assholish comment, lack communication skills, are just flat out stupid. It doesn’t take a brain surgeon to see the difference between this -
and -
In comparison to your original post -
Not that your new explanation isn’t much better.
Here’s your Turtle Wax and a year supply of ramen. Thanks for playing, bu-bye now.
I think my main issue is using the term “deserve” in your writings.
I still don’t understand the original statement at all. I’m dropping the subject, but I think you should re-read it and think about it some more. The clarification you gave had NOTHING to do with your original statement, and I’m at a loss as to how I could have interpreted it that it would not be offensive.
Indeed. You originally said:
“If you are so handicapped that you need a special parking space because the extra walking would be a tremendous burden – why are you driving in the first place?”
This is clearly a stupid statement. Now you’re backpedalling to say you meant people who use grandpa’s handicapped parking sticker at the mall? No. You didn’t mean that.
Actually, I think you meant to make a pithy, un-PC observation (elf6c mentioned Seinfeld), but didn’t quite realize that those only work when there’s a grain of truth to them.
The thing to do now is be a man about it, apologize and shut the fuck up.
More anecdotal evidence: I had temporary handicapped tags for a while, post-several rounds of leg surgery. The surgery was on the left leg; I could drive an automatic just fine with the right leg only, but walking more than a few yards on crutches was exhausting.
There is, however, I’m sure, much abuse of handicapped tags. I used to fume upon seeing people park in the last handicapped spot, and then run off to work on their spike-heeled pumps. I wish here in Chicago they’d do more spot-checking enforcement.
Well holy fucking shit, I didn’t even realize until just now that Diane had opened a whole new can of worms about me. Did not a single fucking one of you realize the purpose of that thread at all? The idea was to say the things that you would normally be ostracized for, any long withheld opinions that you wouldn’t normally just go around shouting at people. If you didn’t like what I said, I don’t have a whole lot of sympathy for you. I was offended by some things in that thread too, but I understood that those people had a different opinion than mine so I didn’t take it really personally. That was the point of the thread, and when it got out of hand it was closed. Enough, that’s all there is to say. Just let it fucking die, jesus. You get so flabbergasted when someone with a non-politically correct opinion states them. I’m not going to take any of them back just to make Diane or Ferrous happy, or anyone else for that matter. Jesus.
Zette said, “You know, that statement is so rude and ignorant, I’m not going to even bother refuting it. I just was not going to let it pass by without comment. I’m sickened by your attitude and stupidity. That is all.”
Look, I understand that you feel that this is an inappropriate statement. However, it is just plain chilish to refuse to refute it because you think it is a stupid point. You had better never ever go into teaching or have children.
Perhaps you’re one of those stupid people who should be “sterilized?”
:rolleyes:
Don’t worry about me, lady. It wouldn’t make me happy if you took them back (I’m happy anyway), just as it didn’t make me unhappy when you said it in the first place.
All I said was, it makes you sound like an asshole. But it’s no skin off my nose either way. You want to be an asshole, I couldn’t care less.
Hey, thanks for the tip- Thank God you’re here to help me with these things.
Wow, is it me or are the assholes just CRAWLING out of the woodwork lately? Who moved the rock??
Okay, I’ll be moderate.
I included a post about having to carry my daughter when I forget the handicap tag at the movies and stuff, so you know which side of this I’m on. I said I’d see what furnishesq had to say about this.
Ok – my opinion – I think he said quite plainly that he didn’t state his position clearly. And he did say some ignorant sounding things, but he went on to say … “here’s what it is that gets me …” and I agree with his position on the rugby-playing guy and people who take advantage of their spouses handicap to use these spots when their spouse isn’t there and shit like that.
So … congratulations, you are not a human rectum in my book. Still you could be a little more empathetic and little less knee jerk. Just me talking – what do I know. I’m just saying.
On the other hand …
I found this to be a pretty fucking rude thing to say to anyone, under any circumstances. So congratulations monica, you get to by my human rectum of the month.
I’m not trying to be an asshole. I honestly don’t think I am being one. They were my opinions at the time, that’s all. Like I said, many controversial opinions were given in that thread and it seemed like the place to give them. Just because you don’t agree with me doesn’t make me the asshole.
First off, Monica, you are an idiot. To make a statement like you did, not knowing Zette from your asshole, is just plain ignorant. I think it’s mighty brave of Jack to invite you into his orifice.
On to parking and the stupidity at hand.
If you are so handicapped that you need a special parking space because the extra walking would be a tremendous burden – why are you driving in the first place?
My 11 year old son is disabled. This in itself qualifies me for handicapped parking, but I have never in 11 years held one. I can walk a distance and drive, because I’m very talented that way. My son however, cannot walk a distance and legally also cannot drive. Pretty simple stuff.
Generally, like Jack, I carry my son, or I walk with him, holding him, helping him walk. This summer he was very ill and dropped 15 lbs., resulting in him being weak and my back crashing on me from having to carry/support him even more. I’m 5’2" and my son is about 4’9". Basically he was dead weight, but, life goes on and he’s entitled to have some enjoyment, not be locked up because his mother can’t hold his weight to walk a distance.
I went to our pediatrician and requested a parking pass. I asked him for a couple of months which would help give my back a break and my son a chance to gain his strength back. The doctor offered me a permanent pass and I declined because I know in a couple of months things will be better.
Second day out, we stop at the grocery store. I pull into a disabled parking spot, one of many that were vacant at that time, get out of my car and head around to get my son out. This is when I encountered my first fucknut. A middle aged couple walking by and Mr. Fucknut says to Mrs. Fucknut, “another abuser” to which Mrs. Fucknut replies “badly crippled I see” and glares at me.
While I am very aware that people abuse all kinds of things in life, including parking, these jack asses assumed because I could walk that there wasn’t a problem and of course I was abusing the system. It must be a joyful life for one who is a puritan.
Things aren’t always as they seem kids. Maybe some of you need to think with your brain and have a thought before you immediately assume.