36 kids have died in hot cars this year.

[M_Six]

When will they learn? What does it take?

[osprey4]

Some would simply call this natural selection.

You can't legislate against stupidity.

[M_Six]

In many cases "natural selection" leads to massive procreation as a means of survival. Sea turtles lay hundreds of eggs because only a few survive to maturity. That's their defense. Elephants, on the other hand, have a higher survival rate among their young, so they only have one at a time.

I believe idiots procreate in large numbers for the same reason as sea turtles.

But that doesn't excuse the cruelty these people impose on their kids. Stupidity can't be legislated against, but it can be punished.

[F/A-18 MechDood]

There have been 4 incidents that I can recall here in the DFW area in the past couple of months. What is even more sad, is 2 of the incidents have been day care vehicles. The day care workers are the ones that did this.

[Sweet]

There are no excuses for this!!!! NONE!!!!!

[MrMikeL]

The parents/guardians should face punishment equal to what they did to the kids: make them sit in the same car at the same temperature with the windows closed, or whatever the situation was, and let everyone watch them receive their punishment. Maybe that will be a wake up call.

[Epidemic]

Ummm,

Yes there is excuse (at least some of the cases)"mistakes" Horrible ones at that.

I fail to see what punishment will accomplish. I will guess that many of these were not incidents where people said let me leave little johnny in the car for 4 hours. They were idiotic brain farts.

Punshing a mom who accidentally kills here kid is cruel and unusual punishment. My guess it that most of these people would be more carefull than any other parent after such an event. Punishment will not teach them anything. They already received the hardest lesson going. Of course assuming normal mental state. Psycho's who intentionally leave their kids in the car because they are going into the crack house for an hour or two are a different story.

MR mike,

My guess it that that would not help a shread. It might satisfy your lust for vengence, but most people do not see themselves ever making such a mistake. So making an example of them makes little difference.

So many here are so high and mighty on their platform that my guess would be the people who say not me are more of a threat than these people who have made the mistake will be in the future.


BTW I am not defending the act if it was wanton. Each case would have to be analyzed way more than the 20 line story on CNN or ABC. My defense is strictly of the otherwise good parent who made a terrible, horrible mistake and is destroyed by it.

[M_Six]

I don't necessarily advocate punishing the parents of kids who have died. After all, what greater punishment could there be?

I DO advocate punishing ANY parent who leaves a child unattended, whether that child is injured or not. That's what needs to be outlawed.

[Epidemic]

m-six. Much better solution!

Although I know many people who will run into 7/11 or back into the house for a second and I am not offended by that.

[M_Six]

Although I know many people who will run into 7/11 or back into the house for a second and I am not offended by that.

I am. I've seen kids in cars that some bozo left running while they ran into 7-11 or whatever. It only takes a few seconds for the kid to do like Mommy does and yank on the shift lever. Or for some jackass to jump in and drive off with the kid. Or for the parent to forget about the kid and sit down to watch TV. This is where zero tolerance should kick in. Your kid should be worth the extra time and effort. If not, you shouldn't have had a kid in the first place.

(I don't mean you specifically, Ep. Just parents in general.)