Wednesday, August 27, 2008

I don't even know what to say

Why is it that when something from down here in the Valley makes national news, it's always for something like this:

http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/08/27/obese.prosecution.ap/index.html

Defense: Woman too obese to kill nephew

EDINBURG, Texas (AP) -- A nearly half-ton Texas woman charged in the death of her toddler nephew couldn't have beaten the boy to death because of her limited movement from weight problems, her attorney said Tuesday.

What kind of mother leaves her children with a 1,000-pound woman who can't even get out of bed? And then, why is it such a concern about how they will take care of her medical issues if she's in prison? I mean, okay, maybe you figure out a way to treat her until she is convicted. But once someone is convicted of such a horrible crime, why in the world to we continue to provide them medical care? We don't have medical care guaranteed for the good, hard-working, law-abiding citizens who haven't done horrible things like, oh, say, kill their nephews. My own father bled to death in his living room, even though there were treatments that could have helped him, because my family could not afford those treatments. You know, maybe I should have just encouraged him to do some horrible crime and go to jail. What a thought - if my father had been a criminal, he might still be alive today!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

They put a bedridden, fat ass women on house arrest??? I don't think it needs to be said, but what the hell... how the hell is she even going to get out of her house!? And shouldn't the mom be charged with something too for putting her baby in the care of someone who can't move their arms.

karrie said...

Wow.........

That is just all around bizarre. I don't even know what to say or think, aside from feeling sad for the poor little guy.

Judy said...

Apparently the mom is being charged with something, and they might increase the charges. It's just a crazy, sad story, and makes me very angry and frustrated on so many levels.

Really, I'm a very compassionate liberal in most ways, but just can't get my head around the fact that convicted criminals get health care (even DENTAL) when there are so many honest, hard-working, law-abiding men and women (and their children) who can't afford even the basics.

Jenn said...

I am so there. I lost my job a few months back and with it the insurance. Now I live in fear not only of something going wrong that would require money but also of getting sick and needing medical care.

That story makes me sick.

Jenn

Anonymous said...

Judy, this is one of the things that drives me absolutely insane. Why on Earth do people convicted of some of the most heinous crimes get full medical care? Because they are human and they deserve it (even though there are some poeple I wish would just get the death penalty immediately because I get really upset especially about the people who KILL THEIR KIDS) If they can have all this medical/dental care, I really do think that there should be universal health care in this country for people who do their best to sdtay afloat and are law abiding people. The argument for having these people get medical care in prison is that it would be inhumane not to allow them care. But what about people who can't afford it?

Judy said...

Christie - yes, if there was universal health coverage, and I didn't have many family members going under because of medical debt, or just ignoring health issues because they can't afford it, and friends whose children can't get coverage because of "birth defects" or being premature, and people deciding not to get married or to get divorced so that they can get medical care, then I would have no problem with giving prisoners medical coverage. Truly. I really do believe in treating prisoners humanely, but I DO NOT believe in treating prisoners more humanely than the good honest hard-working citizens who aren't behind bars.

(And I could get into how many prisoners are sitting in jail for ridiculous "crimes" that I'm inclined to think shouldn't even be crimes - simple possession of marijuana, for example - but that's a-whole-nother post that I'm not inclined to write.)