15 Examples That Show Many Americans Have Become So Desperate They Will Do Just About Anything...

...For Money.

What can I say? The headline says it all.
This list is just sad. And the worst part? It's no doubt going to get much worse than this.

#1 In Utah, one unemployed 28 year old man is offering to be “human prey” for hunters for the bargain price of $10,000. For an additional $2,000, he will let people hunt him down while he is running around naked.

#2 The Huffington Post is reporting that there has been an epidemic of air conditioning thefts all over the United States….

#3 In Corpus Christi, Texas thieves have actually been breaking into funeral homes in order to steal the embalming fluid.

#4 Even police officers are committing desperate acts these days. Just check out what one police officer in Chicago is charged with doing….

#5 Nothing is off limits to thieves these days. Criminals recently broke into a southwest Atlanta beauty supply store and took off with $30,000 in hair extensions.

#6 In another area of Atlanta, thieves have been breaking down walls and busting bathroom fixtures with sledgehammers in order to get their hands on copper, brass and steel….

#7 One grandmother in Florida has been accused of trying to sell her newborn grandson for $75,000.

#8 In Antioch, California a total of approximately 300 power poles were recently knocked down by thieves and stripped of their copper wiring.

#9 In Minnesota recently, a mob of teen girls brutally pummeled a mother and her two daughters until they were black and blue. Apparently the mob of teen girls was enraged over a pair of missing sunglasses.

#10 In Asheville, North Carolina thieves recently took off with 4 metal tables and 16 metal chairs that were sitting outside a pizzeria.

Read the rest at the following link: 15 Examples...

So, are these isolated incidents cherry picked by the writer of this article? Or is this truly a sign of what's going on in this country. And hence, a sign of things to come?

Some of the crazy stuff I've seen in just the past year in my little town makes me believe the latter.
The inmates are running the asylum folks, and the result is not a pretty sight to behold.

Here where I live, you'll get shot for 20 bucks.

Those teenage girls shouldn't have made that list though.... that's not a crime out of desperation.

Increase of unemployment, countries still taking in completely uneducated immigrants in that will never add anything to society.

Yeah this is just the beginning of the end.

At what point do these activities go from being illegal to just simply survival?

Good read, thx for bringing it up...

I agree that mob of girls story had nothing to do with being desperate for money, only petty materialistic BS...

The end of the article was pretty good, totally agree, start prepping if you havent... work on being self reliant so you can survive...

I got a decent size garden in the works (3 raised beds) with plans for more in the coming weeks... And also got a chicken coop being built... Solar shower is in the planning stages

reply to post by Klassified


15 Examples That Show Many Americans Have Become So Desperate They Will Do Just About Anything... except work.

I have cousin who is an unemployed electrician. He’s been out over a year. When I told him I could get him a job working for my brother in law, he said “great, how much does it pay” … I told him $12.50/hr with some OT if he wants it. His response: ”$ 12.50/hr, I make more than that on unemployment, no thanks.”

So as not to cause a spat with the family, I said, "no problem", but I secretly hope he will lose his home and go hungry.

reply to post by SirMike

Not to undermine those who really are having a hard time financially, but this is a valid point, and should be considered. I've run across the same folks around here.

At the same time, I have seen people working at little jobs around here that I never thought I would see working anywhere, just to make ends meet. So the economy really is affecting people that its never affected before.

reply to post by Klassified


copper theft are HUGE around here...hell they strip it out of peoples home while they go to walmart..it doesn't have to be a vacant home.

Originally posted by Klassified
...For Money.

What can I say? The headline says it all.
This list is just sad. And the worst part? It's no doubt going to get much worse than this.

#2 The Huffington Post is reporting that there has been an epidemic of air conditioning thefts all over the United States….

#4 Even police officers are committing desperate acts these days. Just check out what one police officer in Chicago is charged with doing….

Read the rest at the following link: 15 Examples...

So, are these isolated incidents cherry picked by the writer of this article? Or is this truly a sign of what's going on in this country. And hence, a sign of things to come?

Some of the crazy stuff I've seen in just the past year in my little town makes me believe the latter.
The inmates are running the asylum folks, and the result is not a pretty sight to behold.

edit on 7/14/2011 by Klassified because: Shorten title

In the list of examples I only found 2 that would show desperation by the unemployed. The rest I found to be random acts of violence or stupidity. There are people stripping wire up here in Canada too, and theft is still around. Mind you that your post is NOT a true sign of what is going on in the US...it is a sign what is going on in selected regions. But how many people live in the states??? Yeah, and these are just about 20 people involved in the 15 examples in the story.

I believe the article is biased and used horrible examples. The writer should be fired.

Moreover, one of my friends here in Canada says that when he goes down to Washington to visit his relatives that it is a totally different culture. No one really works and people just hang around. In Canada, from my experience, everyone has a job or they are LOOKING for a job on a daily basis. Heck, two years ago I started a hedge trimming and lawn care company by taking out student loans. The fact is....if you cannot find a job, then create your own work! Nuff said

reply to post by SirMike


Just curious as to which state you are referring to where the unemployment benefits are that much. Here in florida, the checks max out at around 275.00 maybe less. That is less than 7 bucks an hour.

reply to post by Wetpaint72


Illinois. He gets just under $600/week because he has kids. I think he also gets somethig like $150/week from the Union out of some relief fund.

As I sit here forced onto SSD and food stamps and wonder how I am going to get by until my surgery heals enough for me to attempt working again. I think how quickly I have gone from a six figure income taxpayer to the guy so many of you love to rank on.
seed

Originally posted by mustard seed
As I sit here forced onto SSD and food stamps and wonder how I am going to get by until my surgery heals enough for me to attempt working again. I think how quickly I have gone from a six figure income taxpayer to the guy so many of you love to rank on.
seed

I don't fault anyone who uses the system to get by who truly needs it. Especially those who have worked for it as you have.

In defense of some people, the laws and regulations are so confusing that the bankers themselves do not even understand them, let alone the buyers.

Then, I do not think people would have ever agreed to have their mortgages sold and traded on Wall Street.

I do agree the responsibility is 50-50 but when one party starts manipulating the system for their own greed, then there is not much the buyer can do about it, other than suffer the consequences of someone elses actions.

Originally posted by Klassified
So, are these isolated incidents cherry picked by the writer of this article? Or is this truly a sign of what's going on in this country. And hence, a sign of things to come?

edit on 7/14/2011 by Klassified because: Shorten title

This is a definetly a sign of what's going on in the country lol.
The garbage men have been robbing peoples house and selling the goods out of the trucks while working, or during the work day
LOL. but not really

This is hardly a North American Problem..

metal-thieves-stripping-Britain-bare

And I read recently there was one guy who was severely burned 'cause he tried to strip electrical wire.. This has been a problem for as long as I can remember..

Unemployment goes by how much you were making.
My husband got laid off after 25 years as a housing designer.
His check is 330.00 a week, so that's what we are living on now, and it ain't easy, but I'm glad it isn't less.

There was an airmen in the Air Force saying she can't wait to get out of the military and get a real job...she did her 4 years and got out.

She's now in Texas selling her rear to make PORN.

If you have a few bucks you too can get lots of beautiful girls CHEAP to "make some porn" with....

Gotta love Texas.

Originally posted by Grey Magic
Increase of unemployment, countries still taking in completely uneducated immigrants in that will never add anything to society.

Yeah this is just the beginning of the end.

The "it's the illegals fault" nonsense is incorrect. Some might argue that they are willing to be paid less, which benefits employers not having the pay more for legal citizens, but the truth is that they do jobs others are unwilling to do. In my state, crops are rotting in fields due to anti-illegal legislation. Where are all the unemployed citizens lining up to pick produce? Laziness, much?

GA's Farm labor crisis

Of course, easier to lay blame on those dang "illegals."

reply to post by Klassified


Reminds me of this film: The Brave

Even though this guy is doing what is doing trying to get a job and as a wake up call. And i agree with another poster, that some of these are not out of unemployment but simply A) greed and B) simply unreasonable violence


Back to the OP, i think there are many factors at play, but i think a lot of it comes to easy money, especially stealing copper, manhole/utility covers, etc. True, the person who steals and loots could be acting out desperation to feed his family, but he could also be acting to feed his habit. And since there is not way to determine exactly why some of these crimes are occurring, it is erroneous to attribute them simply to unemployment, even though it seems to be the easiest association.

*shrug*

#5 is unfortunately neither an isolated incident nor a sign of the times. Hair theft has been a problem for a long time and this isn't even close to the highest dollar loss I've heard of. The people who do this are after a very specific type of hair extensions that generally retail at no less than $100 per package, and that price would be for lower quality shorter hair - double that for decent long hair. It's easy to tell which beauty supply stores stock this hair, because the majority of them have no windows and there is usually a security guard at the door - that's how common the problem is. Interesting tidbit: it can take 2-3 packages of this hair to accomplish certain hairstyles. That's $200-$600 for hair extensions not including labor cost.