Perspectives on the Terry Nugent Case
Just recently a case has come to the attention of the local news media, concerning a state trooper who took several sick days off, and was later found to have spent his sick time on commercial (and perhaps leisure) fishing trips. To examine the details read WBZ TV 4's recent news report on the case. There is a corresponding video link here.
After reading the WBZ4 article please read this one, which comes from the e-zine anxietyculture.com
With this information, what is your perspective on this matter-- the nature of employee sick-time? Did Mr. Nugent abuse his privileges as a state trooper? Please comment.
Note: After you comment, please respond to one or more classmates' statements. Check or proofread your comments before you post them. Be persuasive; be respectful.
Thank You!
About Me
- Florence
- I'm a writer, teaching critical reading and writing in Boston, and now in the San Francisco Bay Area. I've studied English and Economics and am interested in liberal arts education and academic support.
44 comments:
I think that people in high positions abuse the power they have like this state trooper. He was supposed to be out on the line but decided to take the day off by calling in "sick" when he really wasn't. Someone out there probably died but if he was there he could have made a difference. I think he should be stripped of his badge and fired because what he did was ridiculous
hmmm...reading this article on the state trooper, in a way i believe what he is doing is pretty wrong. He knew he was going to have this second job on the side he should have at least told them. Now that he didnt he may suffer consequences. He could probably be fired, we all know fishing season doesnt last all year. I would have understood if he called out if he was really sick but he spent his days fishing. How Boring =]
I understand people's situation when they are sick of doing the same things all the time at work and working long, exhausting hours. Sometimes you feel like you just want to go on a vacation and take a break from work. I think that it's unhealthy to always be working so hard. It can affect your body negatively like causing stress, exhaustions, or depressions. I don't blame people for calling in sick without actually being "sick" in terms of having a cold or being ill. If you feel like you really need a day or two to rest and relax, you deserve the right to do so as long as you notify your workplace about not coming in at work. If it's not a frequently thing, they shouldn't make a big deal of it or take it away from you.
I don't agree with what the state trooper is doing. If he likes to fish so much than he should quit his job as a state trooper and become a full time fisherman. You should only use your sick days at work if your really sick not just to skip work and go off and do something else.
This article draws a lot of spectulations. The state trooper is taking a consecutive amoutn of days off to go fishing, and anywhere this should not be tolerated. He is suppossed to be protecting us, and instead he is putting us in harm. I think that it is obserd for him to be fishing and enjoy not working, while other people are sturggling even to find a job. Over the span of a year and a half, he has taken approzimately 30 days off. That's doesn't seem like a very big number but a year and a half is not that long. If a person cannot mentally and physically stand being at their job for a certain amount of time, then they should not be in that field of work in the first place.
On the other hand, if he was not going to work because he was sick, then he would have a legitimate excuse.
To take 30 sick days in a year and a half when, in reality , you are out fishing is absurd. I understand everyone takes a mental health day, but 30? I'm sure he was sick on some of those days but, when you post about your fishing ventures, you loose credability. He is a state trooper; a protecter. I like to think that law enforcers are honest. Terry Nugent is making his department and himself look bad. Fishing trips? This is where tax-payer dollars are going? The state should have a stricter policy enforced.
It was wrong for the state trooper to call in sick to take so many days off from work to go fishing when he wasn't ill at all. If it was work that caused him to do so, then I don't think it's a problem because many people get stressed out at work and don't want to go back because of that. The sick days can help them recover from the "sickness" they have from work. Taking weeks off from work isn't right because the state trooper went fishing with that time. It's different if you're really sick and you take sick days off, but if you're taking so many sick days off just to have leisure time, then it's wrong.
..i agree with what everyone is saying he should be FIRED!
I agree with Sandra. I do believe that a lot of people who have a higher position in their field of work, such as a CEO or in this case a state trooper, often take advantage of their abilities. I do also agree when she says that he should be penalized. This would be a whole different scenario if he was actually sick, but the point is he wasn't. He was putting other people lives in danger by calling out sick and not taking responsability for his actions.
For me personally I don't think that it's right for a State Trooper to be calling out sick just because he wants to go out fishing. I mean his job is "to serve and protect" the people. If he didn't want to take full responsibility for his job and actions then he should have never decided to become a State Trooper. Also I don't understand how a website can be published about calling out sick from work. They came up with the stupidest reasons for why someone should call out sick from work. I think if a person truly isn't feeling good and is vomiting their brains out then that's understandable. But to just not go into work because you want to go fishing or because you can't stand the thought of going into work on a Monday morning is just wrong. I mean this is the real world and in order to survive you HAVE to go into work and get that pay check at the end of the week.
I believe that the state trooper is wrong by calling in sick to go fishing. He has a duty to protect our community and keep it safe for everyone. If he was truly sick that would be another situation, but the fact that he is out fishing is absurd. He has an obligation to his job, if he wants to go fishing so much maybe he shouldnt be a state trooper. state troopers have a lot of responsisbilties and they cant just call in sick because they are supposed to stop crime and violence.
In the other article it says that people need to call in because they dont get enough sick days and their boss' will do nothing about it. I say too bad for them they took their job and it is a responsibilty for them to be there everyday! If someone is truly sick then yes I think it is ok to call in or if they have a family or personal issue. But other than that, in the case of the state trooper, I think that it is wrong.
I don't he should be fired because I'mm sure all of you guys would so something like this one day or have already!!! :P You guys should understand his situation....
Employee's shouldnt abuse their sick time unless for a REALLY good reason especially if they're in jobs such as being a state trooper. Mr. Nugent definately abused his privileges as a state trooper because every day he spent out fishing he could have potentially saved/helped someone.
Calling in sick is not always to be considered as wrong or dishonest. Sometimes calling in sick just means that you need a break from the work environment. You just need to press pause on your working life and reflect on yourself for awhile. Theres nothing wrong with wanting to take a break without actually being sick. It is, however, wrong to take so many breaks during a set time period for your own leisure. Escpecially if your job requires you to fight crime or save people. It makes no sense to me as to why a state trooper would take off so many days off to go fishing. How does he expect to protect us when he's too busy fishing?
i agree with kburke89...30 days is way too many to take off if ur not really sick
I believe that he is abusing the working place. Calling out to go fishing thats a very immature choice dont you think? if he cant take his job seriously i believe he should just quit until he get fired but i beleive thats gonna happen anyway!=p But Newayz this is a good lesson to learn dont choose a stupid hobby over your job because it aint gonna put money in your pocket, if you beleive you cant handle it dont even try asking for an application.
Listen Lena ! he wasn't just calling out once he called out 30 days! Grr you he should be fired ! Do you call Out 30 days !
I agree that the state trooper had abuse his sick days. calling in sick and going fishing is not what i would call being sick. during his sick days i believe that his boss should of ask him for a doctor notes of some kind proving that he was sick. Since the state troopers are getting paid by the public tax dollars and if he/she called in sick they should not get paid for that day that they are out unless they can prove that they were sick with some kind of illness.
I agree with what Sandra said. I believe that people in high positions do abuse their power. Like she said someone could have died and if he was on his job, he might have prevented it. I think he should be fired as well.
I pretty much agree with everyone is saying except I dont think he should lose his job maybe get suspended or something.
Lena- I agree that it is healthy to skip work, occasionally. He was doing it frequently. Doing so, he is not doing his job as protector of the people and is costing us money. So he should be stripped of his badge. If fishing is so important to him, he should make it his day job.
I agree with Mike D. I mean if he really wants to be out there fishing then he should just quit being a State Trooper and become a fisherman.
I also agree with Sandra. I do think that it's true that those in high positions abuse their power by doing whatever they feel like doing. I mean its not the first or going to be the last time that this State Trooper calls out sick to go fishing.
LISTEN ASHLEY.... I didn't remember reading the part where it it says he took 30 days off.. but if he did then i think it's wrong too.. but my point is i'm trying to say that i feel like it's okay for people to call in sick if they wanted to because they are just too tired or stress from work, even though they aint really "sick" or "ill." Their health is more important....
I agree with what tim t is saying. If you call in sick from work you should have a doctor's notice to prove that you were really sick.
ashley i agree with you but lena has a good point sometimes people need a break because having a job could b stressful but i think he had TOOO many dayz off to release that stress... hmhmhm i smell someone LAZY.. i think 3 daiiz could have been understandable. =]
My thought on this is that he abused not only his authority but also the policy of the system. The thing that really gets to me is that he publicy posted on the web to take days off because the fishing season is too short. In no way did he try to cover up his fishing trips to at least make it look like he was sick. To me, I felt like he believed he was not get in any type of trouble due to the fact that he is a state trooper.
well lena if the trooper wanted to take a day or two off to relax he might as well could of told the office that he wants to take these days, but he did not and instead called in sick, but was still getting paid for it with people tax dollars. which i fine isn't really a right thing to do.
Person's with authority and high power are always abusing it. Whether it an adult talking with younger people, teachers, judges, managers and bosses of corporations or whether. Somehow they always seem to be abusing their power. In this case a state trooper decided to call in sick and take that time to go fishing. An officer who is suppose to be protecting our streets is taking time off to catch fish and to take his new boat out; the job that he has i dont think he should be doing so. He's in a poistion where people lives are on t he line and crimes are happening.
alright.... well.... i think this dude should be fired! seriously, what if i was outside just chilling and there was like a drive-by or something. I COULD HAVE GOTTEN SHOT, and it would of been HIS fault! nah, just playin', but really, with him calling in "sick" just to go fishing, many things could have happened, places could have been robbed, accidents, or someone could have been killed, who knows. anyways, i give this guy two thumbs up for failing at being a cop. kay, bye bye.
straight up, this state trooper deserve to be fired. how can he abuse his power, calling in sick. what is more important? going fishing or protecting peoples life?
one guestion i have is that, when he is calling in sick, was he still getting paid. there is two part to this story, i think that the state trooper passion is fishing, a man got to do what a man got to do. personally i like eating fish, i dont see no problem with him fishing. two thumbs up to the state tropper
After reading many of these blogs im seeing that i'm not alone with my thoughts toward this situation. A job as imperative as a state tropper is deplorable. I do in fact believe that the state trooper should be fired or suspended from that field.
I agree with mike d., if you really wanted or still want to be a fisherman then change ur occupation.
i agree with yoyo..if you're doing something wrong please try to cover it up...don't be so stupid
I believe what the state trooper did was wrong. understand that people need a few sick days once in a while to take a break from everything, but to take 30 sicks days in a year and a half just to fish is a little absurd. Every time he took a sick day to go fish he was taking away from the public. I believe that everyone needs sick days to get away from reality, but at the same time it is immoral to cheat the public from money.
I agree with what most of the people said in their comments besides the fact that he should get fired and that it is right for him to take THIRTY days off in a year and a half. He should be given a warning before any other action is taken. His supervisor sure isn't on top of their business if they let him take thirty sick days off in a year and a half an not wonder why he's taking so many sick days off. Even if you want a few days off from work, you can ask the supervisor for it. I'm sure it's understandable to them because they probably encounter the same problem and would like to take a few days off too, but not THIRTY.
I agree with gamer. He should be fired for what he did. taking 30 days off to fish is out of control.
i think for a state trooper or any other high authority to take 30 sick days off with in a year and a half is way out of line. in my opinion it is wrong because people pay taxes so he can get paid but yet he still calls in sick and goes fishing.this proves he is more interested in the money and his bodily comfort than the people who have made him what he is now. from my point of view what he did illustrates he does not deserve that position and if he is fired or gets a punishment for what he did other high authorities who abuse their power will learn from it.
I think the state trooper did was totally wrong. You can't tell lie and get almost 1 month holiday. you can't use your working time to do others things. It just like you use your unture sick holiday to joke to people who pay the money and let you to protect them. Maybe in your 30 days holiday, becaues your misconduct, there were a lot accident happened, you should pay all for it.
I also agree that phone in sick is kind of fraud. In society, when people who have a job, they must go their working place every day. it is duty not only one's but also for one's company and other people. Thus, phone in sick is definitely kind of fraud, I think. However, I wonder why nobdoy didn't notice about abused phone in sick in artile. it maybe problem of individual society system in U.S
So I finished reading the article about the state truper who took to much sick days and I came to one conclusion.I realy dont care. not at all. People are so worked up calling it an abuse of power. A sitizen having his rights violated by a cop would be a cop abusing his power. But taking to many sick days is eather just an over worked imployey, ore a lazy imployey. whatever the case I realy don't care.
After reading the article "sick-Time Fishing" I have come to the conclusion that I just dont care. People are calling it fraud and an abuse of power. Maybe it is fraud, maybe it is a small abuse of powere. But he dident hurt any body so there fore I dont care. He got cot getting over on the sistem, ok, happens all the time. Personily I have no problem with somone faking a sick day. The sistem works you to hard and it dousent care about your mentil health. My point being, the man did rong, he got cot, and hes going to be disiplined. Lets keep are eyes sharp for the real dert that cops can do, and can we plees stop getting distractid by the silly irelivint stuff that dousent matter.
i agree with LENA,i dont blame the state trooper for taking 30 days off calling in sick. we all do that, sometimes i get sick of the supervisors at my work place. i had even called in sick more than the state trooper. i used excuses like, i tell my boss that i have fallen down the stairs or i was jump in the streets by seven female gangstas. all am saying is that we all have abuse the power one way or another. we need to forgive the state trooper and give him another chance. in the bible, jesus said forgive and forget.
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