Desperate Times...

What would you do if you were broke and in need of medical attention? James Richard Verone decided to rob a bank... for $1.00.

Earlier this month, Verone (pictured), a 59-year-old convenience store clerk, walked into a Gastonia, N.C., bank and handed the cashier a note demanding $1 and medical attention. Then he waited calmly for police to show up.

He's now in jail and has an appointment with a doctor this week.

Verone's problems started when he lost the job he'd held for 17 years as a Coca Cola deliveryman, amid the economic downturn. He found new work driving a truck, but it didn't last. Eventually, he took a part-time position at the convenience store.

But Verone's body wasn't up to it. The bending and lifting made his back ache. He had problems with his left foot, making him limp. He also suffered from carpal tunnel syndrome and arthritis.

Then he noticed a protrusion on his chest. "The pain was beyond the tolerance that I could accept," Verone told the Gaston Gazette. "I kind of hit a brick wall with everything."

Verone knew he needed help--and he didn't want to be a burden on his sister and brothers. He applied for food stamps, but they weren't enough either.

...

Because he only asked for $1, Verone was charged with larceny, not bank robbery. But he said that if his punishment isn't severe enough, he plans to tell the judge that he'll do it again. His $100,000 bond has been reduced to $2,000, but he says he doesn't plan to pay it.

In jail, Verone said he skips dinner to avoid too much contact with the other inmates. He's already seen some nurses and is scheduled to see a doctor on Friday. He said he's hoping to receive back and foot surgery, and get the protrusion on his chest treated. Then he plans to spend a few years in jail, before getting out in time to collect Social Security and move to the beach.

Verone also presented the view that if the United States had a health-care system which offered people more government support, he wouldn't have had to make the choice he did.

"If you don't have your health you don't have anything," Verone said.

As it is, Verone said he thinks he chose the best of a bunch of bad options. "I picked jail." (source)

 

You know, I'm not even mad at him. Desperate times call for desperate measures. We should, however, be mad at the lawmakers who believe national healthcare is a frivolous waste of tax dollars.  (By the way, these lawmakers have great government-funded healthcare. Even stuff us normal folks can't get covered under insurance--like liposuction--is all taken care of.) We should be mad at the corrupt businesses and banking institutions that are majorly responsible for the state of our economy. Be mad at your fellow citizens who don't vote, neglecting their responsibility to elect leaders with our best interests in mind. But this guy? In my mind he deserves, at the very least, the medical treatment he needs.