[Fr. Frank]

I feel a rant coming on....

Ole, I agree that an attitude of entitlement is a huge cultural problem, as is government regulation. Common sense has been thrown out the window.

Here's a non-partisan example:
When Jessica's Law was passed here in Florida, there were a number of amendments that the committee refused to hear in it's haste to be seen as proactive and responsive. The bill's sponsor, Charlie Dean, refused to even listen to me when I pointed out some of it's flaws beforehand. Afterward, when I spoke with him, he thought that putting in the requirement that no one guilty of "moral turpitude" may work with or around children would just keep sexual offenders out of our school system. I had said to Dean prior that if you mean to exclude sexual offenders and predators, just say that, instead of trying to sound high-falutin'. He didn't listen.

Because the problem is that the Constitution of Florida defines any felony activity or conviction as prima facie evidence of a person's "Moral Turpitude".

Don't get me wrong, for the most part, it's a good and necessary law. It needed to be passed. (My children both played with Jessica Lunsford the day before her disappearance).
But the Jessica Lunsford Act cost over 35,000 teachers and school administration and support personnel their jobs in Florida alone: not because they were pedophiles or dangerous to children or others, but because they had ANY kind of felony conviction in their history.
I had three teachers in my parish alone in Citrus County that lost their livelihood because of a youthful indiscretion. One had been convicted of felony check fraud at the age of 18 during a long period of unemployment; One convicted of possession of 2 ounces of marijuana at age 20 back in 1967; One convicted of assault for a bar fight at the age of 21.
All good teachers, all lost their jobs because Jessica's Law says that no one guilty of "moral turpitude" may work with or around children. Two of them were the sole support of their family and had children.

So what may these trained teachers do? One went to work as a cashier at JoAnn'e Fabrics for minimum wage; One became a tire installer at Tire's Plus for $10 hr.; and one is a Greeter at Walmart.

And I, too, lost my ability to work as an Adjunct Professor at any college that allows students younger than 18 to attend, because I, too, am an ex-felon, convicted at age 18 of a drug-related charge. So instead of supplementing my $22K per year church pay by teaching part-time for another $18-24K, I earn $8 per hour working at West Marine.

And I LIKE to work. I HATE taking from the government: never have, and hope I never will.

The point is that many who would work hard are either legally prevented, or legally discouraged, or just have given up and held out their hand to the government.

Okay. I feel better now. Thanks for letting me rant.