Personal responsibility

[DisneyBamaFan]

Personal responsibility - it's personal, as in, none of my business.

With respect the rest, we have created this monster of a litigious society. It is sad that people take advantage of it, but sadder still that it is so easily manipulated.

 

[cm8]

I agree with you. Never said lawyers were to blame...I hope that didn't come across in my post! My lawyer has been supremely helpful in dealing with my legal issues. Just got off the phone with him a short while ago. The pending law suit is dead. The letter he sent to the opposing attorney scared them off and the complaint against us never filed, but someone at the clerks office didn't file the thing correctly and they thought the case was still open.

You are certainly right about the insurance companies. Even when they pay it all eventually comes back to us..the policy holders when our premiums are due.

I just cannot stand watching people get away with the stuff they get away with.

, and congrats

 

[Katie's Butterflies]

"Yes, I'm lucky that I have enough sense not to make stupid choices!"

Yeah, I've found that common sense isn't so common anymore...

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

My DH and DD where rear ended Friday morning. He brought the car in to the shop and had the bumper replaced, to the tune of $1300 and the other guys insurance picked up the tab and paid for the rental. He just got the car back today and it looks better then before.

Of course, everyone at his job is telling him to run to the doctor and say his back hurts. He feels fine, our DD is fine, but they don't care. They just keep on him about claiming and injury that isn't there for a few thousand dollars.

That is terrible!

I do have an issue though. I got rear ended while I was in physical therapy for a back issue. It was a hit and run and my insurance was responsible. The accident that was a serious impact that seemed minor (huge dent consider I was driving 45mph at impact)....

The accident undid all if my therapy and I had to start all over.

I hope that if I ever get into another accident that folks won't think I am making things up.

I was terrified that insurance wouldn't cover it all. The setback was due to the accident so my health insurance no longer covered it and I was afraid auto coverage would deny it because I was already in treatment. In the end, everyone failed to file my auto injury claim in time and the whole thing was free. I was doing my due diligence, but all three companies I dealt with (primary doc, imaging center for MRI, and physical therapist) all failed to file paperwork. They would not accept payment from me until they filed and then they all messed up. And due to state law, they could not accept my money.)

 

[manning]

My DH and DD where rear ended Friday morning. He brought the car in to the shop and had the bumper replaced, to the tune of $1300 and the other guys insurance picked up the tab and paid for the rental. He just got the car back today and it looks better then before.

Of course, everyone at his job is telling him to run to the doctor and say his back hurts. He feels fine, our DD is fine, but they don't care. They just keep on him about claiming and injury that isn't there for a few thousand dollars.

You know what is ironic? Those same people are paying for it, by way of higher insurance premiums. Like my dad use to say " There's no such thing as a free lunch."

 

[bicker]

Except that's not really the whole story: The reality is that the dishonesty costs not only them more, but it also costs all the honest people more money too. So, ostensibly, honest people are subsidizing the dishonesty of dishonest people; responsible people are subsidizing the irresponsibility of irresponsible people.

 

[Jennasis]

Except that's not really the whole story: The reality is that the dishonesty costs not only them more, but it also costs all the honest people more money too. So, ostensibly, honest people are subsidizing the dishonesty of dishonest people; responsible people are subsidizing the irresponsibility of irresponsible people.

Yup. And it chaps my rear.

 

[tvguy]

The past decade has been the decade of no personal responsiblity.

People bought homes they knew couldn't afford and people who work at banks gave mortages to people they knew couldn't afford them.

If people had available credit available, they maxed out their charge cards, and charge card companies gave credit limits far higher than people deserved...(continues to this day, my daughter has a "student" VISA card that is issued for college students. It has a $5,000 credit line. She has no job. She has never had a job)

And of course, when folks realize they can't afford to make the payments they don't ask to have the payment schedule extended, they go to bankruptcy card and have it discharged.

 

[Minnesota!]

Sign me up, I'll vote for that!!

Ugh. I know so many people like this. My BFF was just telling her brother that him and his wife should file bankruptcy since they can no longer afford their house and cars (they pay, b/t payments and insurance) akmost $2K/month!!!! So, instead of being responsible and paying the debt you owe - just file bankruptcty and have it all erased! her and her DH did it a few years back - had $35K of cc debt erased!!!! So now she thinks its a quick fix.

Drives me nuts!!

 

[Heidict]

That is terrible!

I do have an issue though. I got rear ended while I was in physical therapy for a back issue. It was a hit and run and my insurance was responsible. The accident that was a serious impact that seemed minor (huge dent consider I was driving 45mph at impact)....

The accident undid all if my therapy and I had to start all over.

I hope that if I ever get into another accident that folks won't think I am making things up.

I was terrified that insurance wouldn't cover it all. The setback was due to the accident so my health insurance no longer covered it and I was afraid auto coverage would deny it because I was already in treatment. In the end, everyone failed to file my auto injury claim in time and the whole thing was free. I was doing my due diligence, but all three companies I dealt with (primary doc, imaging center for MRI, and physical therapist) all failed to file paperwork. They would not accept payment from me until they filed and then they all messed up. And due to state law, they could not accept my money.)

I'm glad it all worked out financially for you and they didn't try to come after you for it but sorry that your back got hurt worse.

So many people don't bother paying attention when they drive or drive so aggressively that they are a second away from causing an accident. DH was in the accident because the guy behind him was following to closely. There will always be accidents, but I think the amount would drastically go down if people actually drove responsibly.

 

[PrincessSuzanne]

The past decade has been the decade of no personal responsiblity.

People bought homes they knew couldn't afford and people who work at banks gave mortages to people they knew couldn't afford them.

If people had available credit available, they maxed out their charge cards, and charge card companies gave credit limits far higher than people deserved...(continues to this day, my daughter has a "student" VISA card that is issued for college students. It has a $5,000 credit line. She has no job. She has never had a job)

And of course, when folks realize they can't afford to make the payments they don't ask to have the payment schedule extended, they go to bankruptcy card and have it discharged.

I work in a hospital and you ought to see all the people that think they are owed healthcare for free, especially those that come through the ER. This drives up rates for those of us who do work and pay for health insurance.

I do work in a capacity to help those who are eligible for Medicaid and Disability and I see alot of folks that think they are disabled and are not, and those that just don't understand why they aren't elig for Medicaid, just because they are too lazy to get a job. I do feel like I am enabling some, but I try to put much more effort into those that really need the help and I do have to send so many away that are trying and can't get help.

I have a new motto, the one in my signature, I saw it on a billboard in Atlanta, "This is the land of Opportunity, not the land of Entitlement"

Suzanne

 

[Owlpost23]

People who cheat the system have been around forever.Noone really gets away with anything-you reap what you sew.All you can do for yourselves is continue to do the right things.You'll work yourself into a frenzy if you think about all the deadbeats and losers you encounter in your life.Trust that life will even things out for these idiots,and you won't have to do one darn thing.

 

[bicker]

People who cheat the system have been around forever.

That's very true. However, I think what's changed, and still changing, is the extent to which the people who do so fail to recognize what they're doing as cheating the system. Very often I see folks engaging in exploitative behaviors (whether directed at businesses, government, or even other people) congratulating themselves for their ingenuity.

Noone really gets away with anything-you reap what you sew.

I used to believe that, but there is really no reason to. It's a very comforting through, for sure, but I believe that's the extent of the underlying foundation for that belief: It comforts us to think so.

And I've come to realize that it is a destructive perspective to hold: It prompts too many people to step back and away from confronting exploitative behaviors except when they are personally the victims of that exploitation. It essentially gives exploitative people a free pass, since they never really encounter any substantial objections to their conduct.

 

[goofyernmost]

Ugh. I know so many people like this. My BFF was just telling her brother that him and his wife should file bankruptcy since they can no longer afford their house and cars (they pay, b/t payments and insurance) akmost $2K/month!!!! So, instead of being responsible and paying the debt you owe - just file bankruptcty and have it all erased! her and her DH did it a few years back - had $35K of cc debt erased!!!! So now she thinks its a quick fix.

Drives me nuts!!

Although it is true that it will wipe out CC debt, it is not true that bankruptcy will just erase all debt. One can only file every 7 years and by the second one it will be pretty tough to find anyone that will extend credit to you. Tangible items, such as cars and homes, can and, in most cases will be repossessed if payment is not continued. You can option to keep your home and auto's but they are not "cleared" by bankruptcy. You still owe on them and if you don't pay, they will be taken away. You can resolve CC debt and although I think that everyone owes what they charged, I also think that there is a hefty shared responsibility there between the banks that issued the cards and set the credit limits as well of those that were using them.

CC are issued with very little consideration as to the ability to pay back. The interest rates are "loan shark" high with the banks knowing that you will never pay them off using minimum payments. They got you and they make their money off responsible people who had to overuse the credit line for absolute needs. Now they are stuck with never ending debt and are going to absolutely kill themselves to attempt to pay it off. In the meantime the banks continue to increase the credit line without asking if you want it.

I know that I started out with a credit limit of 3K and within 5 years the limit was raised to 15K. I never asked for it, they just extended it. I don't use it, I pay off every month, but it would be easy to just run it up. Don't shed a tear for the banks, they are doing well at the expense of the responsible people. That is one of the reasons that so many people are so willing to keep the bankruptcy system active. I had to use it about 12 years ago because of a business failure. I'm glad that it existed because that's the only thing that saved my bacon, but even then I was cynical. I don't remember any real negative things coming from the procedure, I now have one of the highest credit ratings you can get and I was able to recover. It's good and it's bad. Depends on where you are standing at the moment.

 

[mickeysgal]

The cheating the system is all about choices. Personal pride, responsibility, and accountability seem to be long gone.

I work for a non-profit sports organization where we rely on our program participation fees and required fundraising to meet our budget. Love the emails we get from parents that say that they can't pay, yet at the bottom of the email, it says "sent from my i-pad". Really? It's all about choices. Can't vs. won't. They'd scam the services off the backs of the honest parents in the form of increased fees. The honest ones bear the burden of the deadbeats.

We have a family member with back issues - always had them, then hurt it worse at work. Claimed that the injury happened totally at work. Now waiting on a workman's comp settlement. Claims he can't work at all anymore. Claims he can't sit in a car for time needed to drive to work. Yet - works on his car in his garage with the door down in case workman's comp drives by. Yet - goes to the race track far away to watch his friends race their car. Has been seen running - running! - when he thought he was going to miss a friend's race. He's waiting for the settlement like a kid before Christmas and we're all disgusted. He's entitled to the point of stealing.

Makes me ill.

 

[Anjelica]

I work for a non-profit sports organization where we rely on our program participation fees and required fundraising to meet our budget. Love the emails we get from parents that say that they can't pay, yet at the bottom of the email, it says "sent from my i-pad". Really? It's all about choices. Can't vs. won't. They'd scam the services off the backs of the honest parents in the form of increased fees. The honest ones bear the burden of the deadbeats.

Bolded part - amazing to say the least.

I have at least two examples in my life of folks who are truely disabled and have worked through life to overcome those disabilities and are successful, contributing members of society. Makes me wonder about all those folks who are not truely disabled yet "just can't do it".

 

[Bilberry]

I read an editorial this morning which is mainly about personal responsibility and how as a society some are trying to change that into the collective. Never thought of it that way. Thought it was a good article.

http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAna...101909/Who-Owns-Us-Congress-Or-Ourselves-.htm

 

[bicker]

Except that the article equates people with money, a thoroughly disgusting perspective. What the government "owns" isn't the people, but rather the monetary system: the economy, the money, the apparatus of commerce, etc.

It's a shame; some of the rest of the article may have had some merit.

 

[eliza61]

That's very true. However, I think what's changed, and still changing, is the extent to which the people who do so fail to recognize what they're doing as cheating the system. Very often I see folks engaging in exploitative behaviors (whether directed at businesses, government, or even other people) congratulating themselves for their ingenuity.
.

and to go a step further. I love when people complain about the "people who brought houses they knew they couldn't afford". Where? Most people did not go into bank or mortgage company thinking they couldn't afford that mega mansion, that's the problem. They fully felt that the no money down, alternative mortgage was a good deal. many thought that by the time the mortgage reset in 2 or 3 years they would be making more, or other bills would be out the way.

2ndly our view of "necessities" has changed. People today really feel that they "need" a cell phone. Remember when gas hit 4 bucks? How many moms on the dis, swore up and down they really needed an 8 passenger minivan or suv with 2 kids.

Heck, how many people here post that they "need" a disney world vacation?

So while the economy may have forced people to "reset" their financial habits, it has not forced people to "reset" their mind set.

 

[3 MEN AND A BOAT]

my cousin's live in boyfreind hasn't had a job for more than a week without quiting since he got out of jail about a year ago, but he collects unemployment, she gets SS benefits from her deceased boyfreind, they recieve food stamps for her 2 kids. ohh but the best part is the kids live with my aunt after DHR took them from the mom because of druguse will pregnant with the baby.

i know another lady that recieves SS disability because she says her feet hurt because she was fat. funny thing after she gets apporval for disability she is walking and riding her bike up/down the road and lost all the weight, but she didn't give up her check.

I believe all government checks should be immediatly canceled and looked back into on a case by case basis. then require anyone that recieves any kind of government check show up to a set location 5days a week 8hrs a day, say like a local stadium or civic center, if for no other reason than to let the rest of us know they aren't just sitting around at home watching TV all day.

another idea is to sell those large tractors they cut grass on the interstate with and by a bunch of pushmowers, the deadbeats could earn their pay.

my family runs a small seafood shop and after the oil spill most of my employees wouldn't come back to work, because BP is giving them a check. I, like many other businesses, never got any assistance from claims czar Fienberg. any time I need assistance it's never available or they want me to sell mortgage everything I own, so I say lets stop all of it. you let a few people starve and the rest will get up and work.