Why I hate America!

[Freedom]

I was at Disney last year and a couple, maybe in their 50's, had both rented scooters to get around. I saw them twice - once sitting next to me in a nice restaurant with scooters presumably outside. They got out of their seats for the bathroom easily without assistance - no sign of any handicap at all.

I have a new perspective on this; and this new view is just 5 months old. I am not yet 50 and now have arthritis in both knees. I am SO glad I've been to Disney (twice) and to many other places. Going at all n ow would be a major production. And I would be one of those with the rented scooter, and in the restaurant I would be walking OK -- BECAUSE I had been using the scooter all day. And I feel incredibly self conscious all the time, too.

And yeah, I see people abusing the handicap spots all the time too.

Lazy: neighbors of mine who use a riding mower. Lot is less than .18 acres. Duh!!!

[Hellow]

Dont forget about the automatic flushing toilet, the automatic water in sinks, and the automatic hand dryers, and the automatic soap despencer.

[caseysmom]

Dont forget about the automatic flushing toilet, the automatic water in sinks, and the automatic hand dryers, and the automatic soap despencer.

Actually from a germ standpoint I think those are all great.

[Hellow]

Oh yeah and i heard about this fully automated house that runs in the $700,000 range to buy.

[sabies]

Don't get me wrong, I realize not all handicaps are visible or obvious to someone, but I just sensed that these people were not handicapped. I think it is great that Disney is very accommodating, but I think if you just have trouble walking around all day you should not cut to the front of every line or get special treatment like that. These people struggled for at least half an hour (then a second bus came and I left) trying to get on the bus when I knew they could just get up off the chair and walk on the bus. I don't know why maneuvering the chair lift was taking so long, that can't be the norm.

On the other hand, I do believe most people will not abuse handicap spaces, etc and I would rather let some jerks think they are getting away with something then inconvenience a truly handicapped person. If someone wants to be lazy all the time they will end up gaining weight, which comes with it's own health issues, and soon they will be legally handicapped.

[sparks19]

Don't get me wrong, I realize not all handicaps are visible or obvious to someone, but I just sensed that these people were not handicapped. I think it is great that Disney is very accommodating, but I think if you just have trouble walking around all day you should not cut to the front of every line or get special treatment like that. These people struggled for at least half an hour (then a second bus came and I left) trying to get on the bus when I knew they could just get up off the chair and walk on the bus. I don't know why maneuvering the chair lift was taking so long, that can't be the norm.

On the other hand, I do believe most people will not abuse handicap spaces, etc and I would rather let some jerks think they are getting away with something then inconvenience a truly handicapped person. If someone wants to be lazy all the time they will end up gaining weight, which comes with it's own health issues, and soon they will be legally handicapped.

I'm sure you are probably right and they really had no REAL need for the scooters. but would it have been different if you were allowed to get on the bus first and then sit there and wait for them to load their chairs? Either way the chair would have to come on the bus sometime. and I imagine that if Disney were to request that someone leave their chair behind because they did not appear to be handicapped they would end up with a hefty law suit..... and well.... you can't count on people to be courteous these days lol after all even people without handicapped stickers still park in the handicapped spaces.... which is beyond me.

I remember when I worked at a tim hortons years ago we had this guy that would NOT get out of his chair to even reach for his coffee.... most often we had to walk around the counter to give it to him because he would make NO effort at all..... yet I saw him get out of his chair and push it across the street after it got stuck in the snow

[carole]

Richard i don't think America is alone in it's laziness, we down under are almost as guilty,if we are not it is because we just have not got all the fancy gadgets you have available to you, but honestly we probably have most of them these days too,the old saying comes to mind "only in america", it is a sad fact of life today, we are all getting lazier by the minute thanks to technology.

Yes do remember not all disabilitys are visible,and i have seen time and time again people taking disabled parking, but as i suffer from something myself that is invisible to people i remember that and think maybe these people are the same, however here in NZ we have to have special stickers to put on our car windows, if you have not one of them , then you are not entitled to disabled parking, i myself am eligible but have not taken up on it, i can just imagine the looks and abuse i might get as i look perfectly fine.

[Alysser]

Richard i don't think America is alone in it's laziness, we down under are almost as guilty,if we are not it is because we just have not got all the fancy gadgets you have available to you, but honestly we probably have most of them these days too,the old saying comes to mind "only in america", it is a sad fact of life today, we are all getting lazier by the minute thanks to technology.

Yes do remember not all disabilitys are visible,and i have seen time and time again people taking disabled parking, but as i suffer from something myself that is invisible to people i remember that and think maybe these people are the same, however here in NZ we have to have special stickers to put on our car windows, if you have not one of them , then you are not entitled to disabled parking, i myself am eligible but have not taken up on it, i can just imagine the looks and abuse i might get as i look perfectly fine.

I agree with you 100%. While some third world countries probably don't get the gadgets we get, I think most countries do, but we have more. SO alot of countries are taking the guilt trip with us.

I am also eligible for a handi-cap parking pass thing, but I don't really need it.

[catnapper]

I'm not surprised in the least. Didn't "The King of Queens" do a series of shows about this same thing? (I don't know since I don't watch the show, just saw the previews)

Anyhow, think about it. We've been slowly getting lazier and lazier. These are things I did as a kid that I don't do now (not just me, everyone I know too)
* Flush the toilet by myself in public - a seeing eye does that for me. Sometimes they turn water on and dispense paper towels too.
* Roll my car windows down. I push a button now.
* Get up and change the tv channel. I push buttons nows
* brush my teeth using up and down and circular motions. Now I have an electric toothbrush.... a fews ago the little spinning head wasn't spinning and I stood at the sink thnking "oh no, now what am I gonna do?!" and then reality kicked in: brush like I used to!
* How about the new washers that wash AND dry. Really, how hard is it to remove clothes from the washer to toss into the dryer? 1 whole minute? And what about clothes you don't want to shrink in the dryer?

There's more but I'm not particuarly inspired today.

[RICHARD]

Richard i don't think America is alone in it's laziness, we down under are almost as guilty,if we are not it is because we just have not got all the fancy gadgets you have available to you,

If you look at a globe, you Aussies do have to fight gravity......

In Cah lee fuh nee ah, we have placeards that hang from the rear view mirror and do have plates that have the wheel chair logo on them.

The people that were renting the scooters were doing it so that way they would not have to walk the length of the casinos.....two football fields or about 200 meters.

[momoffuzzyfaces]

In Cah lee fuh nee ah, we have placeards that hang from the rear view mirror and do have plates that have the wheel chair logo on them.

Gosh, Kansas has caught up to date with Cah lee fuh nee ah!!! That's what we have. I personally have the placard and the plates for the car!

We recently got a Walmart Super center. It has lots of the scooters. While it would be a great help for me to use them, so far I refused. I don't want to get to the point I have to rely on them. For me, that's just one step nearer to a wheel chair and possibly a nursing home.

What cracks me up is seeing people with children park in the handicapped spots. Ok, some children may be a handicap but they were your choice. Don't make me pay for it!

[Cataholic]

I worked with a guy, and he took the elevator to the second floor most of the time. WHY, I would ask him, "You are so health conscious"?

He would reply,"I get my exercise at the gym, not at work".

I had to laugh. He was in super, duper fantastic shape. It was just not what he chose to do.

I am all for scooters, mobility devices, etc. For alot of people, they do help improve the quality of their life. It isn't up to me to decide how active they should be.

There but for the Grace of God, go I.

Sparks19, you have alot of phobias. Showers? Parking? Hope you aren't afraid of the baby! As for not taking advantage of the close in parking spaces? I salute you. At 39 weeks, in August, I was all over them like white on rice. Course, I needed them for the first 6 months, too, AFTER the birth.

[dukedogsmom]

I think they can still be charged with DUI. I know one time not too long ago we had a man riding a lawn mower that got arrested. But that could be because he was on a regular street.

[sparks19]

I think they can still be charged with DUI. I know one time not too long ago we had a man riding a lawn mower that got arrested. But that could be because he was on a regular street.

LMAO....

I bet that makes for an interesting story.....

"Hey guys remember that time I got busted for driving a lawnmower while intoxicated" haha Why was he driving a riding lawnmower lol

[Hellow]

How about this one: "Hey, dudes. Remember the time when i got busted for riding a tricycle on the road intoxicated?" LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!