From: utzoo!decvax!harpo!eagle!mhuxt!mhuxa!mhuxh!mhuxm!pyuxjj!pyuxcc!djj
Newsgroups: net.misc
Title: Re: temporary insanity and money
Article-I.D.: pyuxcc.280
Posted: Fri Jun 25 09:33:12 1982
Received: Mon Jun 28 06:14:12 1982

I wonder if the jury would have been so forgiving if that man had
invested the money in tax-free municipal bonds or the like.

It would be interesting to know just what the criteria were to determine
his insanity:  the rate of expenditure (if he spent the money at a slower
rate, would he have been less insane); the type of purchases (does buying
a Porsche make him less insane than going to Vegas and gambling); how soon
after finding the money he started his spree; etc, etc, etc.

Another influencing factor would be the affluence of the man who found
the money.  Certainly, a man with a gross income of $100,000/year should
be less insane than a man who receives only welfare checks if both
were to find the bag of money (????)!

Then again, . . . . I think you can see where this line of reasoning
is headed.  Assuming some accurate decision can be made concerning 
inanity (I meant to type 'insanity', but somehow 'inanity' fits!), it
must certainly be tempered with a consideration for the circumstances
of the person determined insane.  Isn't this a violation of the
equal protection clause in the Constitution???

Dave Johnson
BTL - Piscataway

P.S.  Hinckley is guilty and should be locked away and forced to watch
      home movies of Jodie Foster forever!