May 2, 2002

Being Rich Isn't Everything
   by mike <mike@pfft.net>

Now now, don't get your underwear in a knot. Being rich is probably great - you get to work when you want, live where you want, buy what you want and complain that the government takes too much in taxes. Fine. What you don't get to do is break the law and get away with it.

This local story on a young man named Brett Goldner explans why. Goldner, 19, was charged with reckless homicide in the death of 71 year old Lenore Shapiro. The kid was speeding down the road with music blasting out of his car and plowed into another car, killing the woman and seriously injuring her husband.

You don't get to walk away from that. To make matters worse, Goldner called his father on his cell phone rather than 911, and never actually went to the other car to check on the occupants' condition. What an asshole.

This accident occured in Winnetka, an affluent northern suburb of Chicago. Goldner's defense attorney "also cited Goldner?s inexperience as a driver, his unfamiliarity of Winnetka streets, and the absence of drugs and alcohol," as reasons his client should not be convicted. Hooey! The kid is 19; three years of experience is enough to know you shouldn't speed. Unfamiliarity with Winnetka streets is enough of a reason not to speed, and lastly, if you shoot someone but weren't high or plastered, you still go to jail, and Goldner should too.

Countless witnesses testified that Goldner was driving excessively fast (including an off-duty firefighter and several residents), blasting music from his car. This negligence is what contributed to the accident, making it reckless homicide. Any attempt to make it seem like anything else is a pathetic excuse to try and dodge consequences for your actions, Mr. Goldner.

It's a shame this had to happen. I don't mean you going to prison. It's a shame you had to be a cocky teenager who thinks he knows everything and ended up killing a 71 year-old woman. My advice to you: bring some K-Y to prison with you; the shower gets a little rough.

Published: May 2, 2002
Editor: stacy