Submitted by Darren Smith, Weekend Contributor
Last night I had a situation that I found to be quite disappointing. Just after seven o’clock in the evening, I thought I would have dinner at a restaurant on the other side of town and drove over there to dine out. Along the way, I needed to merge onto a major interstate freeway in the metro area having four lanes and busy traffic. As I drove along in the outside lane, it was after dark at the time, I saw a man walking along the hard shoulder of the roadway. I worried that a drunk might veer off the travelled portion and hit him so I pulled over to offer him a ride. Thus began a conversation that really shows how we can often allow people to be put at risk because the county does not want to offer them a modicum of accommodation.
After I picked him up, the gentleman walking around the roadway told me that he had just been released from the county jail after serving time for driving while license suspended. He did not have someone to pick him up from jail so he had no other option but to walk back home. He lived twenty five miles from the jail. The only way he could get home, since he had no money with him, was to walk along a busy interstate freeway.
We previously wrote about the virtual debt peonage and endless circle of jail and further increases of fines with suspended drivers in an article HERE.
It would have taken him until after six in the morning to walk that far. So rather than drive him to the next exit to find another ride I just drove him home.
He was 57 years old, unemployed and had no family available to drive him. He had no other choice than to walk. I asked him if the jail offered him a bus ticket or some other accommodation to allow him to return home after release. He said the jail used to give bus tickets to people in his situation but stopped doing that several years ago.
We had a good visit with each other, but the entire time we were together I could not help but wonder why the county has a system as such that a person of little means is forced to walk twenty five miles home because no effort was made to arrange for his journey. The risk this man faced from being hit by a drunk driver, stopped by the state patrol for being a pedestrian on a limited access freeway, or simply collapsing from exhaustion is certainly not something that we should accept nor something a person released from custody should endure.
I recognize that the sheriff’s office is not a taxi service and has no obligation to provide transport for released inmates after their term has expired, but couldn’t the county at least take a few more steps to ensure that someone can either pick up the inmate or try to prevent a situation where a fifty seven year old does not have to walk twenty five miles to get home?
Is this too much to ask?
By Darren Smith
The views expressed in this posting are the author’s alone and not those of the blog, the host, or other weekend bloggers. As an open forum, weekend bloggers post independently without pre-approval or review. Content and any displays or art are solely their decision and responsibility.
I hear ya Paul! I have awesome Mexican food here and I would give it up for pizza every day of the week.
Olly – we have great Mexican food here. I have a place near by that does New Mexico style. Most of the places here do Sonoran style. San Diego does Baja California style which to me is a little blander.
@Paul ” I have a place near by that does New Mexico style. Most of the places here do Sonoran style.”
OK, now you have me curious. For those of us who don’t have a clue what are some of the differences in New Mexico and Sonoran style, and how do they compare with Taco Bell?
All this talk about food. I bought one of those Never Ending Pasta Passes from Olive Garden. Did any of you hear of it? For $100, you can go to Olive Garden as much as you want for free for 7 weeks. And, if you are eating with a group, the entire group gets free soda products. So right now, I’m off to Olive Garden again. It is a great deal. Have a great evening all.
david – my wife uses all the coupons she can but we are not pasta eaters.
Liberals aren’t mouth breathers. They have their noses up in the air, taking in air. Some have their noses elsewhere.
I knew this place had become too civilized – now I have to read definitions of what “LIBERALS” are. Here’s the derivation of the word, compliments of Websters Dictionary:
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Latin liberalis suitable for a freeman, generous, from liber free; perhaps akin to Old English lēodan to grow, Greek eleutheros free
And here’s their definition, currently:
Full Definition of LIBERAL
1
a : of, relating to, or based on the liberal arts
b archaic : of or befitting a man of free birth
2
a : marked by generosity : openhanded
b : given or provided in a generous and openhanded way
c : ample, full
3
obsolete : lacking moral restraint : licentious
4
: not literal or strict : loose
5
: broad-minded; especially : not bound by authoritarianism, orthodoxy, or traditional forms
Interesting, isn’t it? I don’t see any reference to noses in the air, or the like.
Hmmm…perhaps I should try the word “PROGRESSIVE”:
Full Definition of PROGRESSIVE
1
a : of, relating to, or characterized by progress
b : making use of or interested in new ideas, findings, or opportunities
c : of, relating to, or constituting an educational theory marked by emphasis on the individual child, informality of classroom procedure, and encouragement of self-expression
2
: of, relating to, or characterized by progression
3
: moving forward or onward : advancing
4
a : increasing in extent or severity
b : increasing in rate as the base increases
5
often capitalized : of or relating to political Progressives
6
: of, relating to, or constituting a verb form that expresses action or state in progress at the time of speaking or a time spoken of
I think I like my appellation. Sorry, guys, you lose. Oh, wait one more minute; perhaps I should try the word DEMOCRAT.
1
a : an adherent of democracy
b : one who practices social equality
2
capitalized : a member of the Democratic party of the United States
Perhaps DEMOCRACY???
Full Definition of DEMOCRACY
1
a : government by the people; especially : rule of the majority
b : a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections
2
: a political unit that has a democratic government
3
capitalized : the principles and policies of the Democratic party in the United States
4
: the common people especially when constituting the source of political authority
5
: the absence of hereditary or arbitrary class distinctions or privileges
I’m happy. We can play sticks and stones all you would like, but I prefer real English. You might also note that the definition of liberal shows the “common” term to be rather archaic.
Edward,
Now I’m responsible because you take ownership of unassigned character traits? Good luck getting satisfaction from yourself.
JT returns 5 days from now. Just sayn’.
Olly, me neither, what a nice coinkydink! 😀
Olley:
“I’ve never felt uncomfortable, regardless of how shockingly, indefensibly and inexplicably ignorant others have proven to be.”
Now there you go again insulting us dumber than dirt liberal mouth breathers. I take offense sir and demand satisfaction.
Edward R. Pease – since you have laid down the challenge, as Olly’s second we demand Civil War cannon at 200 paces. Have your second meet me here.
Paul, We have discussed Pizzeria Bianco in downtown Phoenix. A transplanted NYC Italian. Best pizza I’ve had in the US. Always a waiting line.
I’ve never felt uncomfortable, regardless of how shockingly, indefensibly and inexplicably ignorant others have proven to be.
@Olly “I’ve never felt uncomfortable, regardless of how shockingly, indefensibly and inexplicably ignorant others have proven to be.”
Something tells me you are going to fit right in. Now if we can just do something about that pizza.
It will surprise some of you to know that in 2013 Phoenix had the top rated pizza parlor in the USA and in 2014 it was 2nd. I have never eaten there. You have to wait outside forever to get your pizza which mean that you are going to get sun stroke and/or skin cancer. The weather is getting nicer so I might try it later this year when my friends get back from China.
They used to have a restaurant in San Diego called Chicago Brothers Pizza. It was a sad day when they closed their doors. 🙁
Hell, you’re from SoCal, you know Mexican and seafood. Although, Bronx Pizza and Luigi’s are pretty good NY style pizza joints.
I love that deep-dish pizza! 🙂
@Olly
“They used to have a restaurant in San Diego called Chicago Brothers Pizza. It was a sad day when they closed their doors.”
Well there ya go – the free market really does work – sometimes.
“I love that deep-dish pizza! :)””
Well, we respect a broad diversity of opinion here – so you should always feel comfortable expressing your view, no matter how shocking, indefensible and just plain inexplicable it might be.
Olly – I don’t care what the depth of the pizza is or what town it comes from pizza is the food of the Gods!!!
Paul, I responded to what you wrote. If you didn’t mean it, well, that’s on you. Your entire spiel about the man Darren picked up is that he was an alcoholic, that he was clearly guilty, and he deserved to be walking 25 miles home because of tough love. Well, there’s absolutely no love in your approach. You don’t know that the guy’s an alcoholic and you don’t know that he’s guilty of anything (see the experience of wrxdave). There are lots of reasons people get locked up that have nothing to do with their guilt or innocence. Your approach is, as I said, all stick, no carrot, because YOU have decided that he is a guilty alcoholic who needs tough love. Thanks goodness for people like Darren who don’t make such negative knee jerk decisions about others.
bettykath – Did you not read that he was driving on a suspended license and served jail time. People do not get their licenses suspended for traffic tickets. The fact that he is walking shows he does not have a support system anymore. People without support systems at his age (57) lose them usually through their own mishaps. I have written a couple of times that I thought they should have supplied transportation, but they did not. I thought the walk would not harm him and might do him some good as he would be able to contemplate his life as he was trudging along. It is not like he was doing it in 4 inch spikes.
In the light of my experience, I would suspect he is either an addict or an alcoholic. And, as I have said, if I picked him up I would take him to either an NA or AA meeting, wait for him and drive him home. However, I probably would not have picked him up, I would have called the non-emergency PD number and had them deal with it.
Paul I know you don’t care about the reality vs your beliefs but for others here are Nevada’s reasons for suspensions:
Examples of driver license suspensions and revocations are listed below. Juveniles may also have the issuance of their license delayed for some offenses.
•Point Suspension — When you accumulate 12 or more demerit points against your license in a 12-month period.
•Driving Under the Influence — If breath, blood or urine tests reveal you are driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol or if you are convicted of DUI.
•Collision with Bicyclist or Pedestrian — If you cause a collision with a person riding a bicycle or a pedestrian.
•Failure to Appear — If you receive a traffic ticket and do not pay the fine on time or do not appear as required.
•Security Deposit — If an accident occurs with more than $750 in damage (personal injury or property damage) and you do not have liability insurance. Driver’s license and vehicle registration are suspended.
•Failure to Maintain Insurance ◦If you are required to provide proof of financial responsibility because of a license suspension or revocation and do not do so, or;
◦if you are cited by law enforcement and convicted of failure to maintain insurance, or;
◦if you have repeated lapses in vehicle liability coverage.
•Child Support — If you are in arrears in court-ordered child support payments.
•Graffiti — If you are found guilty of a graffiti violation.
•Firearms — If a juvenile is found guilty of certain offenses related to firearms.
•Street Racing — If you are found guilty of participating in, or organizing, an unauthorized speed contest on a public highway.
•Alcohol and Drugs — If a juvenile is found guilty of buying, drinking or possessing alcohol; or using, possessing, selling or distributing any controlled substance.
Your license may be canceled for an incorrect or fraudulent license application .
I am not going to google every single state but your jumping to a conclusion is just plain wrong.
leejcaroll – you are, what we call co-dependent. 😉
BFM, I agree TOTALLY, including that gob of goo they think is pizza!
It’s a code. Shhhhh.
It’s 10/12/14
Yeah, yeah, whatever Paul. Perhaps you should take your own advice.
Annie – good to see you have come out of hiding. Thought we were going to go another 5 days of collecting your new nom de plumes. Sadly I do read your stuff, that is why I could easily figure out your new nom de plumes. Maybe when JT comes back we can list them as a welcoming present for him.
Paul, that’s nice, want a cookie?
BFM, You and I are reasonable people. You have to wonder the motivation of people who want no reform. And, they yell “RAAACIST” when we just say there has to be some accountability You really have to wonder THEIR motivation. There will be folks voting twice in Chicago and then driving to Milwaukee and voting once.
@Nick Spinelli
When I die I want to be buried in Chicago so I can continue to vote and express my opinion on important issues. Chicago is truly a great city – except for the pizza.
http://gab.wi.gov/node/1917
Wisconsin Government Accountabilty Board announcement regarding the WI Voter ID Law.
BFM,
The GAB was going to put out public announcements regarding the Voter ID law starting the day that the SC put implementation on hold. Because the 7th Circuit acted to implement the law so close to the election the GAB didn’t have time to do this sooner. The Walker Administartion didn’t lift a finger in helping people get IDs. The DMV first changed their policy for state IDs, to be free of cost on Sept 15th. For those without birth certificates here are provisions to help them get the ID, but again no nearly enough time to do it before the election. Also as SWM said all the absentee ballets (in the thousands) wouldn’t have been counted. The Walker Administration was counting on hundreds of thousands of minority and student voters being disenfranchised.