What's really killing America...

... deadbeats!

Five Deadbeat Stories That Will Leave You Shaking Your Head
Excerpted from Are You Kidding Me? How Deadbeat Tolerance Is Killing Common Sense and Costing America Trillions (Pittsburgh Professional Publishing, 2006,
ISBN-10: 0-9748299-2-7, ISBN-13: 978-0-9748299-2-0, $14.95), by Michael Webb
http://antideadbeat.com/

Deadbeats really do come in all shapes and sizes. Here, excerpted from Michael Webb's book Are You Kidding Me?, is an eclectic group of "award -winning" crooks, leeches, and other assorted low-lifes. Their deadbeat ways have not only cost money, but in some cases, caused physical harm to innocent people. If you want to be amazed—and disgusted—read on!

1. "Hand-y" Man: This lawsuit leech, a construction worker in Virginia, thought he saw the mark of the devil on his hand. He cut off his hand with a circular saw and then wouldn't allow a doctor to reattach it because it was against his religion. He later sued the doctor and the hospital for $3 million for not forcing him to have the surgery. He lost the suit, but still cost the doctor and hospital a large sum in legal fees.

2. Credit Card Crook: This deadbeat, a part-time gas station clerk, used a special device to capture credit card and PIN numbers from 80 of the station's customers. He then used the information to steal $200,000 from their accounts.

3. Hazardous Hacker: By hacking into networks at major corporations, this cyber slug was able to copy software, read emails, and make free phone calls via the Internet. He was accused of causing some $300 million in damages and received a five-year prison sentence for his crimes.

4. The Big Dig: This plan to build a series of underwater and underground tunnels in Boston was proposed in 1969 and construction started in 1991. Because of inept management the Big Dig has been under construction for 15 years and has now cost over $15 billion (a whopping 37 percent over budget); there is no completion date in sight. Tragically, in the summer of 2006, a woman was killed when concrete slabs fell from the ceiling of the Big Dig on top of her car.

5. Meth-lab Dad: Bringing new meaning to the term deadbeat dad, this "winner" ran a methamphetamine lab in his kitchen. In 2004, his 12-year-old daughter suffered acid-like burns on her foot after accidentally knocking over some jars in the lab. He was awarded over 10 years in prison for being such a poor parent.

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