dagblog - Comments for "Affluenza? Hmmm..."

Good choice Jolly. According

ocean-kat — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 21:25:52 +0000

In reply to You guys are just a bunch of

Good choice Jolly. According to one article I read when he hit the people he turned to the passengers in his truck and said, "Don't worry. I'll get us off. I'm Ethan Couch."

Next time I go before a judge

ocean-kat — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 20:48:50 +0000

In reply to Affluenza? Hmmm...

Next time I go before a judge I'm going to claim I should get off due to destitutitis.

You guys are just a bunch of

jollyroger — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 17:42:13 +0000

In reply to Affluenza? Hmmm...

You guys are just a bunch of haters.

I, personally, am going to get as close to this kid as possible, so I can catch my own case of affluenza...I presume I will recognize the illness when I get up in the morning and check my bank balance, which will have gone from middle three figures to high six figures...Bring it on!

According to reports, he was

Donal — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 16:55:10 +0000

In reply to Affluenza? Hmmm...

According to reports, he was belligerent at the scene, at one point saying, "I'm outta here."

I read about this in Gawker a few days ago, as I mentioned in another comment. I was reminded when I read the "I'm outta here" that when I was a young adult, a friend of my kid brother drove the family Mercedes head-on into another vehicle and killed an entire family. I think he had been drinking. I frankly don't recall what his punishment was, but I do recall my brother saying that the kid lashed out angrily during the trial, saying, "I've had enough of all this!" only to be rebuked by the judge.

Judge Jean Boyd

EmmaZahn — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 16:53:52 +0000

In reply to It could be portentous or it

Judge Jean Boyd

It could be portentous or it

EmmaZahn — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 16:52:48 +0000

In reply to Affluenza? Hmmm...

It could be portentous or it could just fizzle out in a series of blogosphere posts tsktsking it.

Whatever Judge Boyd's rationale for such an unjust verdict, if it establishes affluenza as a workable defense, a big if, it could also used as an argument against against irresponsible affluence, particularly its heritability. Progressives should at least pigeonhole the item and others like it for the next time estate tax arguments come up.

Facts of the case: 1. It's

NCD — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 16:47:22 +0000

In reply to Affluenza? Hmmm...

Facts of the case:

1. It's Texas.

2. The kid is white.

3. The Dad is rich. (said he would send the kid to a $450,000 rehabilitation program)

4. The judge, Jean Boyd, is a Republican.

5. Texas judges are elected, an (R) likely reassures re-election.

6. Little doubt that Texas has the best justice money can buy.

I suspect the judge is

artappraiser — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 16:32:22 +0000

In reply to In general, I am all for

I suspect the judge is setting the family up, though.

Noooo really? An eight-dimensional-chess-playing judge?

The parents did not create a

rmrd0000 — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 15:41:27 +0000

In reply to Affluenza? Hmmm...

The parents did not create a sense of responsibility in this wealthy kid. Will a poor Black or Latino youth be allowed the same excuse for a transgression that ends in death?

In general, I am all for

Michael Maiello — Fri, 13 Dec 2013 15:31:46 +0000

In reply to Affluenza? Hmmm...

In general, I am all for light sentencing for juveniles. This defense is pretty sick, though. I suspect the judge is setting the family up, though. The juries in the civil suits are going to know about this and they're going to come down hard. In this case, the cure for affluenza might be a massive redistribution of wealth -- though it'll be interesting to see if the plaintiffs will be able to go after the assets of the parents. Suing a rich kid is generally worthless as they have no assets though the judge could order he pay out half his future earnings forever. That will, of course, discourage him from earning anything...