This reminds me of something else that’s stupid
KNS:
Those who defraud senior citizens deserve harsher punishment, and Knox County needs to continue pushing senior needs as the population ages, Mayor Mike Ragsdale said Tuesday.
This reminds of those signs on Tennessee gas pumps that have the picture of that caveman looking state trooper. The sign says something like In Tennessee, if you pump and don’t pay you could lose your license.
Special people and businesses deserve special penalties on their behalf? Kinda lame. If I still $100 from Pilot Oil, a 90 year-old, or just some guy then the penalty should be the same.
November 19th, 2003 at 12:11 pm
Should it really be the same? Stealing $100 from an individual who lives from check to check should be penalized at exactly the same level as stealing $100 from a corporation that has billions?
I’m not for age discrimination, but at the same time, I think circumstances should and do matter when determining the punishment for a crime.
November 19th, 2003 at 12:18 pm
Not every old person lives check to check. Some corporations do.
November 19th, 2003 at 3:56 pm
That’s fine, but it doesn’t address my point, which is that circumstances matter. Etched-in-stone penalties don’t serve justice, they subvert it.
November 19th, 2003 at 4:11 pm
But you can’t write a law to account for every circumstance. Stealing is illegal, regardless of whether you steal to feed your kids or not.
November 19th, 2003 at 6:11 pm
Perhaps the punishments should be the same, but enforcement should be stricter in some circumstances (e.g., going after those who target the vulnerable).
November 19th, 2003 at 11:42 pm
But you can’t write a law to account for every circumstance.
Thank you for making my point. Set-in-stone punishments, like “the punishment for this crime is X,” is trying to write a law to fit all circumstances and is, therefore, a terrible idea.
That’s why we have judges and juries. The law might suggest punishment, but ultimately judges and juries should decide what punishment is appropriate for a given set of circumstances.