*A Miami mom was arrested and charged with trying to sell her 8-month-old son for $7,000.
*Police are looking for a woman who used pepper spray to keep rival shoppers away from merchandise she wanted.
*A donation-collecting volunteer jingled all the way to jail Saturday after police arrested him for allegedly stealing hundreds of dollars from Salvation Army kettles.
*A Detroit man was arrested for allowing his 9-year-old daughter to drive him around while he was drunk.
*Another "mysterious" flash mob of youths struck a Philadelphia Sears Store on Thursday afternoon stealing thousands of dollars of merchandise in a matter of minutes.
And these types of incidents are not limited to urban areas. We've seen headlines announcing all manner of terrible things right here in our own small cities and towns. So what's going on? Bad things have happened throughout history, and there will always be bad people doing bad things. But, doesn't it seem that there is an overwhelming amount of awful news these days? Is it because society tolerates it? Are we becoming immune? Or, is it because so many more children are growing up without being taught simple basic values and responsibility? It seems that I encounter more people in various situations that are just...angry. Have you noticed that? What are they mad at? Do you wonder what happened in their lives to make so many people so unhappy?
I know what makes me mad these days...politics. Not enough to make me go out and pepper spray somebody at Walmart or organize a flash mob, but pretty mad just the same. It's especially bad at the federal level. You would think that with three-and-half million people in this country we could find a couple hundred of them capable of running the country efficiently, decently and honestly. But, as John Belushi used to so eloquently say "....nooooo!" Some of you will argue "But not my guy. He's the good one." Well I have news for you. He's not. If he was we wouldn't be in this mess. They're all bums, and we should throw them all out and start over while there's still time. Need some evidence? Here's another headline...
*Congress has ignored efficiency recommendations from the Department of Health and Human Services that would save $9 billion annually.
And it's not just the elected officials. Too many federal employees are stealing our money also. Example...
*A recent audit revealed that employees of the Department of Agriculture diverted millions of dollars to personal purchases through their government-issued credit cards.
Maybe it's because they see their senator or congressman/woman getting away with it so they want a piece of the action. Whatever the reason, I think we can all agree that it's getting out of control.
I've tried to avoid politics in these posts. But I just couldn't hold it in any longer.
Whew! I feel better. Guess I'll call off that flash mob. For now anyway.
-0-
-0-
