Headlines from the New Haven Register have caught my eye during the last few days and made me shake my head in amazement at the foolishness of our government leaders.
A local Doctor at Yale-New Haven Hospital that came to this area a few months ago and his sister, an attorney visiting from Germany decided to play a worldwide running game to make friends.
Well... Some frightened fool called the authorities and the equivalent of the Connecticut Ghost-Busters moved into action. Hazmat crews from surrounding towns descended on the site and with all the wisdom of government agencies decided to evacuate IKEA. Why would the BRAINS have all the people stand around the parking lot so they could inhale whatever potentially deadly fumes may come from the mystery powder? Wouldn't they be safer remaining inside the store?
I'm all for caution concern but if a citizen calls the police after seeing a "runner" mark the ground with "flour" I would expect a little "detective" work to determine the credibility of the problem. The city of New Haven instead calls the FBI and mobilizes experts from all over the state wasting tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars.
Wasting all that money on the preliminary investigation wasn't enough for the New Haven Authorities. Two hours after this fiasco began the Runners returned to the area and tried to clear up the misunderstanding. Instead of excepting the reality that mistakes happen and allowing the runners to enjoy a little food & drink they were tossed into the clink.
As it turns out the flour was spread to mark the trail for a Hashing. This worldwide social event brings runners together for a little fun. New Haven is now charging the German Citizens with a Felony so another round of taxpayer money can be wasted by the prosecution. I'm no legal wizard or rocket scientist but I think I can safely say the odds of recovering all the cost of the government's overreaction from the runners are slim.
Does anyone think the government should be more accountably with taxpayer funds? The Spend, Spend, Spend mentality and endless ability to reach into our pockets for more money has to STOP!
Hey Suzanne... I'm doing fine.... Where you been? Seems like you disappeared and it was getting close to the point where I'd have to start doing some detective work of my own to track you down.
Dan,
Busy, busy, busy! Work, kids & family. You might find me today at the beach, the family has been keeping me busy entertaining! The summer is winding down, now the decide they need to work on their tans..LOL! :)
The government and common sense...sometimes it's an oxymoron!
Good post, thanks
Ummm...Yeah! This is just a little out of whack for me. Sure...spend more taxpayer money, we'll work harder to help. No problem, right?