O.T.: Got to report for jury duty tomorrow

[A K]

As I said before, to each their own. If you don't think it's a duty, then you don't. As you can tell, there is a pretty decent split here as to opinion, and I see no reason to engage in...



[Broken External Image]:

 

[Nelson Atwell]

Isn't it typical? We Americans take too many of our freedoms for granted. Leave the dying in battle and jury duty to the poor, uneducated welfare recipients. The rich and well off have no need to pay into the system, they just collect the rewards of it with no investment of their own.



Back in Washington's time, the rich actually funded the wars and lead the poor, unfortunates into battle. To be a General you had to be rich, because you funded much of your unit's costs, since the US government (if you could even call it that) had little money of its own. I'm not saying we should go back to those times, but those leaders gave everything in their fight for freedom and now the general population just wants to suck every asset from our government without giving anything back.



It's really sad.

 

[Fudged Undies]

Nelson and Adam, at the risk of beating that horse, this isn't an issue of AVOIDING "civic duty" (at a bare minimum in my case and I would suspect in others). The system is skewed as I demonstrated in my example above. If I can't be selected for a jury because either lawyer wants to make sure they have an advantage, I can't be expected to be excited or even interested in being part of the process as the process isn't that interested in my being a part of it. Yeah, it's rationalization, but like many things in this country, your expected not to question what your "supposed" to do. I don't suspect my simple argument will change anyones opinion on this matter, just want to be clear that some of us that WANT to be part of the process are excluded for not so good reasons, and I'm sure my example is the norm and not the exception.



End of dead horse beating, not looking to start a debate, just want to be clear on my point.

 

[TomT]

Just realize that when you go into court, you are putting yourself in the hands of 12

people that weren't smart enough to get out of jury duty.

 

[Thomas Rogers]

Nelson,



Though I agree with most of what you say, the following I take issue with:

The rich and well off have no need to pay into the system, they just collect the rewards of it with no investment of their own.

I have to disagree with that.



The rick and the well off pay the majority of the taxes that allow for our govt to provide such systems and services.



So, yes, it is our civic duty to serve jury duty, often times the ones that it hurts the most to do so (the small businessman) is already doing their civic duty pay taxes that pay for the system.



The system needs to change. For those that are self-employed or who work for companies that won't pay for them to serve, they need to be guaranteed their income or be able to be granted waivers.



TJR