Another day in court…
Got called for jury duty again, see that story here and here. Second time in a year. Damnit. I went to the county courthouse all the way over in Georgetown for jury selection. It was standing room only, just like last year. The clerk started into her schpiel about responsibilities of jurors and then swore us all in. She then went over the list of exemptions. One of those was you are exempt if you’ve served on a jury in the last 24 months. Woohoo! says I. And lookie there, it says that very thing right on the summons. The clerk said anyone who was exempt could leave after collecting their pay. I went forward, got my $6, yes, that’s six dollars, and got outta there. I was out in less than 15 minutes and got the full $6 for a day of jury duty.
Six dollars a day. 600 pennies. That’s what the county thinks is fair pay for a juror. What the hell is up with that? I spent nearly that in gas to drive halfway across the county and back. This might have been a days wages 75 years ago but this is 2003 and I earn over 40 times that. That doesn’t even buy a decent lunch. I think people would be less upset about doing their civic duty if it didn’t cost them money to do so. Let’s start paying these folks for their time. If I ever have to go before a jury I’d be happier if it was a jury of my peers who aren’t upset because of the money it’s costing them in lost wages to be there. I’d also prefer it to be a jury of peers, not of the unemployed or stupid. The ones that couldn’t come up with a good enough excuse to get out of it. I think it is our responsibility do do jury service but let’s not make it a hardship.
I didn’t even have to show up because I was exempt.
Moral: Read all the way through the documents sent to you.
: Hands Around My Throat from the album “The Animatrix OST” by Death In Vegas