Jill Rodrigues Flunks the True Test

Today was better, at least better in regards to the message onslaught. I said something last night on Facebook about my day being completely ruined by those spamming me. Today I got a grand total of two messages, from family members I needed to speak to.

Remember last night I was saying you could almost predict someone else's moral levels, if they are a good person or not by if they put their shopping cart away in a cart corral or other officially designated place? Our family had a long discussion about that a few weeks ago. My son surprised me by even saying one of his favorite YouTube channels is Cart Narcs. Seems kind of silly from here, I'm not into confronting privileged people in Southern California. Although I would probably laugh if they caught Lori Alexander in her San Diego neighborhood cart ditching on camera.

Then I saw this posted by the infamous Jill and David Rodrigues Quiverfull family....

This another one of those tests of bedrock morality in my opinion. Why and how did they flunk? Easy. They took one of the airports limited wheelchairs to stuff two small children into. They aren't the only ones that do this, but it is very wrong on so many levels. If you're going to the airport to drop off someone, like they were doing with Nurie's fiance Nathan, and you have small children that cannot walk that far you bring a stroller, you think ahead and come prepared. If you're not capable of thinking ahead, for whatever reason, you pony up the five bucks to use one of the airport's child strollers.

Many airports will rent you a stroller, just like a baggage cart. It's not free, like the airport wheelchair, but I have seen many times tightwads, cheapskates, tacanos, whatever you like to call those folks that take penny pinching to newer and tackier places at the expense of others skipping the rentals. Using the wheelchairs to transport baggage and small children, not at all what it was designed for. It's certainly not safe for the kids either.

Plus there are such a limited number of these things do you know what happens when the Karens of this world are using them for free kid transport? A disabled person sometimes has to wait to even make it into the airport. I have experienced this first hand and seen copious complaints about it on the chronic ailment boards I am a member.

Back nearly two years ago, about a month after my stroke, I flew back to the D.C. area to see my kids. On the flight from Atlanta to D.C. as we were attempting to deplane a rather large man eager to get out stepped full force on my flip flop clad foot. I heard crunching like pretzels, and when I got off the plane my foot was bleeding.

Long story short after nearly a week of limping around on the foot I found out I had broken two toes and had a very broken small bones of the foot. Plus the place that had bled was infected. Meaning they could not even cast me while I had that infection. Once I realized what was going on I called the airport and the airline, asked for ADA accommodations in two days when I flew back to Costa Rica. They were supposed to meet me at a certain entrance at a certain time with a wheelchair. It was all set up.

Except when I get there I am told they have to wait to get a wheelchair because they are all currently out. So I'm limping and screaming on my uncasted infected foot for quite some time until they get a chair. I can see around me people with their kids smooshed in like Jill Rodrigues kids above, balancing kids and suitcases just to avoid that airport rental fee. Using the wheelchairs how they aren't supposed to be used.

I was lucky once I got the chair at Reagan National, and they finally whisked me through TSA and on to my flight. Delta was mostly great, rearranging my seating assignments so I was on rows with more leg room.

It's disheartening, discouraging and sort of disgusting when you see people, like Jill Rodrigues, who exploit a loophole to avoid paying a fee at the expense of other people who have a genuine need, for whom the wheelchair is not a matter of convenience. I wonder how Jill would feel if it was her paralyzed sister Amy being denied a chair? Many airports make you check those power wheelchairs like hers as luggage and transfer over to one of the airport chairs the minute you get there. How would Jill feel knowing Amy was delayed, or inconvenienced because someone didn't want to use a stroller or carry their kid or pay a fee?

I'm betting she'd be madder than a mascaraed wet hen.

Bet Jill made Timothy circle the airport again and again to avoid having to pay for parking their car. Notice I'm restraining myself from saying a thing about David or the kids physical appearances? I'm trying.

Spend the damn money, rent the stroller, pay for parking and act like a reasonable human being who realizes the world is not there to revolve around her.