Back in 2008, my wife and I made a road trip to Tampa, Florida, and we noted all sorts of horrible things. One of the big ones was the fact that the power companies in Alabama and Mississippi have to put up big billboards along the highways, warning of the dangers of pulling down high-power lines. Considering some of the geniuses doing this, I suspect that they weren't all that good with the reading thing.

(A couple of years earlier, I was working in a call center for a company that handled payments for utility companies. We had all sorts of choice pieces of free-range Soylent Green that called in, but one of the best ones was a guy whose name was just distinctive enough to remember two days later. It was bad enough that he was quite literally too stupid to figure out that he needed a credit card in order to make a credit card payment to turn on his power. What was worse was that I read about him on Fark.com later in the week, after he'd tried to pull down high-power lines with a handmade grappling hook and clothesline. The only reason his obituary appeared so quickly was that he'd left his ID in his still-idling pickup truck: his body was so charred that even dental records were problematic.)

Let's review:
The USA now has the highest level of poverty since the early 1990's.
The largest economic divide between rich and poor since 1928.
A very high unemployment rate and uninsured health care rate.
And our educational system is failing.
People with nothing have nothing to loose, and obviously they will do anything to get money.
Watch out, the next 'Rein of Terror' may be closer than we think. Who cares if the rich folks alarm and security systems are not working?

Who buys this stuff? Aren't they a teensy bit suspicious when a tweaker shows up with miles of fencing and electrical equipment?

NW Portlander, that is the right question. The best way to clamp down on this stuff is to keep a very close eye on the scrap-metal dealers. A few years ago, there was a problem with people taking the metal guardrails off the highway. And that was during the "good years."

My father used to do the same thing in England when he was a teen in the late 50's early 60's. Yes, my father would actually brag to me about the things he stole. One of them were the copper rods (not sure what they were used for) at electrical substations. That was just one of many things he took. Not the best role model.

Portland native, you are entirely correct.

Why is it sad?