Maryland: March 2009 Archives

So this was years ago, in a far, far land.  OK, Montgomery County, MD.  At the time, I was either a senior in high school or an underclassman at Maryland.  To help pay for tuition and have some spending money, I was working for CVS as a quasi-supervisor.  Now we all know, CVS may not hire the best and the brightest.  Some of us were intelligent thinking people.  But not A.  I don't remember A's name, but I remember she was dumb.  Dumber than a bag of bricks.

A had her moments.  The managers and I thought she was stupid.  There is a difference between stupid and dumb.  Stupid is unintelligent.  Dumb is unintelligent to the point of ridiculousness.  A couldn't count.  Lucky we had cash registers.  A didn't know where anything was in the store.  We were a busy store, so we always had more than one cashier at the front.

The store I worked at banked at Sovran Bank, now part of Bank of America.  They knew all of our staff because many of them banked there.  One day the manager called and asked if A was in.  We sent A down to the branch, which was in the same strip center.  She was back 10 minutes later.  We dared to ask her and she said that there was a problem with her account, but it was taken care of.  Later, one of the managers and I headed to the branch to take our deposit.  The bank manager asked my boss why we hired such a dumb employee.  We knew who she was talking about.

Apparently A had written checks on her account and overdrawn it.  That happens to alot of people.  What was odd was she continued to do it, that's why they needed to speak with her.

A: I want to close the account, but I still have checks.

Bank: But you know you don't have money in the account.

A: But I still have checks.

Bank: But you are not depositing anymore money.

A: (blank stare)

Bank: (jaw drops)

CVS Manager and me: (jaws drop after hearing this)

Remember, we always knew A was stupid.  There are stupid people out there and I feel for them.  But A moved into dumb territory.  I don't usually like to blast people.  OK, I like to, but only in the privacy of friends confidences, but this kind of needs an open outlet.

I have mixed feelings about this.  I will admit, I've read a text message while driving.  I have probably written one as well.  But it is bad for attention.  I do have however think there are a million other things that could be as distracting.  Still probably a step in the right direction.  Let's hope they don't go the route DC took of banning use of mobile phones without a headset.  I know I see it everyday I'm in the city where someone is driving with their phone in one hand.  I have even seen a very well known technology writer for a national newspaper do it on the Whitehurst Freeway in afternoon rush hour.

In doing that, I found this sign on the side of the road.  This is not the actual sign I saw.  I don't think my fellow commuters would appreciate me stopping at 8 AM to take a picture.  Or would it be safe for me to continue driving and taking the picture at the same time.

So my question is, what is the reason for this to be up?  Is it an orphaned sign from the Inauguration?  Is there a major event in the District that I'm just oblivious to?  Or is it to protect the affluent Potomac, MD and Great Falls, VA residents to warn them against the vagrants of the District?  More to the point, why does anyone need to be told this in a city where many commuters park in garages that are not open to aimless wanderers looking for a quick fix of loot.