Save Me a Parking Spot

So, I pulled into a my parking space, got out of the car and headed into the store. I noticed a woman about 5' 2" and 300 pounds that was also getting out of her car. She was parked in a handicapped parking space. I watched her get out of her car and walk into the store with no visible disability. At the same time, I was passed by a white van that was clearly looking for a spot to park...he found one...at about the very furthest space from the entrance to the store possible, in my same aisle. I had to stop and see if my suspicions were correct...they were. About 2 minutes later, the back doors of the van opened and an electronic lift device slowly began lowering this man and his wheelchair to the ground.


Now let's rewind...about 10 years ago my wife accompanied me to my annual physical (yes, she wants to be involved in everything) and at the end of the visit she asked the doc if I qualified for a handicap placard. The doc laughed and said, "I think that the amputation of his foot easily qualifies him for the placard. I will go ahead and write the note." That was it! Done! Too easy!

Well, on the way home began our discussion...I told her that I saw (and still see) no need for such a "benefit!" There are too many people out there that TRULY need it and I could never see myself infringing on that by using it for convenience purposes only. {For those of you that don't know me, I wear a prosthesis on my left leg, but am not, in ANY way, hindered in my daily activities like walking to and from my car.} We eventually decided on a compromise...we would only use the placard if, and ONLY IF there were no other spots available, possibly during Christmas season, and occasionally at amusement parks. As a side note, it gets used maybe once per year.


Fast forward...this morning my wife read to me this statement from Abe Lincoln:

"If any man tells you he loves America, yet hates labor, he is a liar. If any man tells you he trusts America, yet fears labor, he is a fool."

If one of our country's founding principles is that the harder you work, the better the reward, then how is it we ended up in this predicament? We have done a 180 degree turn to quite the opposite sentiment. If a loophole exists, the current generation is encouraged to find it. If you can take advantage of "the system," you should! Huge economic bailouts, the outsourcing of labor to other countries, the abuse of the welfare system, the living beyond one's means (i.e. credit abuse), and the lady using her weight as justification for a handicap are only a few examples of the lack of accountability that runs rampant in the United States.

Pro 13:11 Wealth obtained by fraud dwindles, But the one who gathers by labor increases it.