FTA: He was a drifter. He never had a job, and he did a lot of drugs, and he drank a lot, and he spent a lot of time in jail.

Polysyndeton can be effective in poetry, prose, and speeches. It makes you look sound like a farking fourth grader, however, when you use it in journalistic writing like this.

Also, is this asshole paid by the word? Is there a reason he doesn't use "addict" or "alcoholic" or "convict" instead of this bullshiat circumlocution?

What has a "been", now?

TFA: "There have been several attempts to locate Dailey's family, and Erickson herself tried a few years ago by looking for relatives on the Internet and trying to call them, to no avail.

This fall she tried again. This time she mailed out letters."

Wait, so sending a farking letter didn't occur to her years ago? That's some fine detective work there, Pat.

So... is the state going to try and collect the money it spent on this guy from his newly found family?

ElizaDoolittle: Sarcasm? Way easier to find anybody on the web than by posting a letter.

That depends a whole lot on who you're trying to find. Based on what the article tells us about this family, I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest that the classic methods of investigation and contact were a lot more likely to be successful.

So he was gone for 14 years and his family just assumed he was dead and didn't bother trying to track him down? It sounds like he was probably a complete piece of shiat and they were glad he was gone. And judging by his sons reaction, that seems like the most likely scenario. The last time his son saw him he was five, and if his son is 30 now that means there were 11 years after his son was born that he had no contact with him and pawned him off on his in laws. Although I have to wonder why the maternal grandparents were taking care of the kid and not the mother. I guess this is an uplifting story though, it makes me feel better about the fact that my Dad did everything in his power to spend time with his kids even though my parents were divorced, and my Mom struggled working shiat jobs while taking care of two kids and putting herself through college so she could provide for us.

I cant decide if this story pisses me off or not.

Has it occurred to anyone that it was most likely one of his own family members that did the hit and run on him? They didn't want to find him. They wanted to rid themselves of his tired and useless retorts to their less than average anecdotes. He was a pooper partying and always designated the driver. Ducks float cause they want to.

He was a drifter. He never had a job, and he did a lot of drugs, and he drank a lot, and he spent a lot of time in jail.

And his family didn't want him, either. So it's a good thing the state paid for his medical bills + living expenses for FOURTEEN years...

That happened to me once. All I got was this purple dragon!

ElizaDoolittle: Radak: TFA: "There have been several attempts to locate Dailey's family, and Erickson herself tried a few years ago by looking for relatives on the Internet and trying to call them, to no avail.

This fall she tried again. This time she mailed out letters."

Wait, so sending a farking letter didn't occur to her years ago? That's some fine detective work there, Pat.

Sarcasm? Way easier to find anybody on the web than by posting a letter. Having RDFA, it sounds like nobody wanted to find him, but the reporter had to turn in a "miracle" story on 12/25.

2011 - 14 = 1997 for the first web search. How much has the internet grown since then?

video man: Grabbin' pills.

/i've got a good feelin' about this!

it sounds like nobody cared to see him until they were confident his bills were being paid by someone else. They came, got free food and bounced.

Biser: So... is the state going to try and collect the money it spent on this guy from his newly found family?

Hah..good luck with that, and i knew when they said he didn't have any ID on him he was a criminal, and the first thing that the hospital is gonna try to do is get their money. Good luck with that. Might as well write it off and save the paperwork.

Well... my Christmas story is worth telling....

My sister passed away last week from cancer. It was very aggressive, as it burned through her within 2 months.

I hadn't seen her in over 15 some years except when a few months ago when I bumped into her by chance (for a few seconds as I was late for something). I had talked to her for the first time in these 15 years about a month prior over the death of our father. On her last day, I went and spent the day with her, taking care of her best I could. We couldn't talk as she could barely speak two words coherently.

But that's only part of the story. My other sister, which I got back in touch after over 20 some years via facebook, came over and stayed at my house for a few days with her husband and daughter, my niece that the last time I had seen, was a very young child. We had last contact so long ago after her going into protective custody, as her husband at the time had taken her (and the kids) hostages and had stabbed my sister's friend. This man spend but a few years in jail, but the good news, when he got out, he eventually hung himself. But through all this, the fact that my brother (very long story) had told her a lot of lies, such as I supposedly hate her, etc. she left without a word.

So after 20 years, my niece was able to spend time with family for the first time in her life that she can remember (she remembers nothing from the old pictures).

So while very sad that one sister died (instead of the brother that deserves to), It was a very touching Christmas for us (my family and my other sister/niece).

MisterRonbo: Seriously, what is your final solution to getting the severely disabled indigent "off the dole"?

Maybe work will set them free?

After reading the story my headline would have been more like 'Man who wouldn't be missed, wasn't.'

Krunnky: That happened to me once. All I got was this purple dragon!

[i240.photobucket.com image 640x480]

I got mine last week after I pelted an unsuspecting Belf Warlock in Orgrimmar with a handful of snowflakes. I /kissed, /hugged, and /loved her as I vanished away into the shadows to celebrate. Now onto that Salty achievement!

/got 2 other rare epic mounts that week, too
//here endyth mine threadjack

Good for you Subby

I have a family Christmas story to tell, just like the news article. My father vanished when I was 5 years old and we never saw him for 9 years until one Christmas Eve, when he suddenly showed up at the door. I ran up to him and he looked at me I'll never forget his words, "Get out of my way, you little bastard." He punched me in the mouth as hard as he could, causing me to bounce off the wall. He pulled a large trash bag from his coat and went over to the tree and began stuffing all our Christmas presents into it. I remember hearing my mother yelling from the upstairs bedroom. "Where's the gun? Where did I put that damn gun?" As a final gesture, before he left with all our gifts, he bent down and lit the Christmas tree on fire. Then he ran out, laughing. But the story had a happy ending, because I got the fire put out and my mother and I decided that the most important gift we could have was our health.

3dougnight: I have a family Christmas story to tell, just like the news article. My father vanished when I was 5 years old and we never saw him for 9 years until one Christmas Eve, when he suddenly showed up at the door. I ran up to him and he looked at me I'll never forget his words, "Get out of my way, you little bastard." He punched me in the mouth as hard as he could, causing me to bounce off the wall. He pulled a large trash bag from his coat and went over to the tree and began stuffing all our Christmas presents into it. I remember hearing my mother yelling from the upstairs bedroom. "Where's the gun? Where did I put that damn gun?" As a final gesture, before he left with all our gifts, he bent down and lit the Christmas tree on fire. Then he ran out, laughing. But the story had a happy ending, because I got the fire put out and my mother and I decided that the most important gift we could have was our health.

Jesus.

I hope you learned your lesson. Wait until Christmas morning to lay out presents under the tree.

video man: Grabbin' pills.

Nice.

special20: video man: MisterRonbo: Honest Bender: He was a drifter. He never had a job, and he did a lot of drugs, and he drank a lot, and he spent a lot of time in jail.

And his family didn't want him, either. So it's a good thing the state paid for his medical bills + living expenses for FOURTEEN years...

Yeau, that's the kind of money that could pay for a small fraction ofva shihy new F-35 Joint Strike Force fighter plane, or fund the invasion of a third world nation for several minutes. And we're wasting it on nurses and convalescent homes?

How awful!

You're putting words in his mouth. I am a-ok with giving the guy rehab, but there's a point where the money sinking has to stop. Fourteen years living on the dole is usually past that point.

Nah. It's for the greater good that those who can provide help, will help those unable to do so for themselves. I sure don't mind. What's your problem with it? Soshalizm!? The organization called Aging Solutions Inc., looks after people who are declared wards of the state. Guess what? That's part of the safety net we are supposed to have. I'm glad to know that low-life scumbags in this country can at least have a small parcel of dignity when their own stupidity takes them out of the game.

I wish that I lived in a country wealthy enough that ANYONE, lowlife scumbag or not, could have a small parcel of dignity. Oh, wait, we are wealthy enough-- we're just not human enough.

highwayrun: I wish that I lived in a country wealthy enough that ANYONE, lowlife scumbag or not, could have a small parcel of dignity. Oh, wait, we are wealthy enough-- we're just not human enough.

You must have missed the whole part where, ya know, we did do that.