Jail justice

I am sorry, in a vague way, that Jefferson County jail inmate Ronnie Tejada lost his legs due to complications from diabetes.

I am delighted, in a very enthusiastic way, that I don’t have to pay for his misfortune.

Tejada, of course, sued the county for bad medical care while in the slammer. Some folks were worried that the county or its health-care provider at the jail would get socked with a huge judgment … which would cause the county’s insurance/health costs to soar even higher … and encourage more lawsuits by other inmates.

Thank God common sense prevailed. Thank God a jury didn’t fall for Tejada’s sob story and throw him a pile of cash — thinking it was covered by insurance or was just sitting around in the petty cash drawer.

There is no free lunch.

If Tejada had collected a whopper of a judgment, it would have eventually come out of the pockets of every taxpayer in Jefferson County — most of whom contribute a lot more to the general welfare than a guy sitting in the klink on a charge of family violence.

The Enterprise covered this case well. I saw nothing that backed up Tejada’s claim. I saw several things which reaffirmed my belief that:

1) Lots of people with diabetes lose legs. That’s lousy, and it’s another reason to avoid this disease if you can.

2) Jail inmates should get good health care. But the notion that doctors and nurses should hover over these little darlings is absurd.

This country is still trying to figure out how to help hundreds of brave men and women wounded in Iraq or Afghanistan.

If you’re looking for someone without an arm or leg who deserves sympathy, look to them.