Time Is Money + Put Your Money (and Time) Where Your Mouth Is

[scfr]

Awhile back, there was a discussion here on the forums about how to get out of jury duty. There was even a Savings Advice article about it. I think I was 1 of maybe only 2 people who said, don't try to get out of it. Unless it is a true burden to you, go do your civic duty. I tried unsuccessfully to argue that our jury system depends on a jury of our peers, and some day it might be one of us or someone we love relying on that system and on our peers showing up. The general concensus was that folks weren't willing to lose income in order to show up for jury duty. Comments like that even came from members for whom, I am sure, showing up for jury duty would not derail their financial plans.

I understand that there are people who just can't do it. I know that if someone very young, or very old, or ill or disabled is dependent on you and you can't afford to pay for or can't find a caretaker, you can't do it. I know that there are a lot of people would face genuine financial hardship if they lost income. I wouldn't expect anyone to lose their home or go hungry in order to serve. But if it's just an inconvenience, or causes a loss of income that isn't pleasant but is survivable, then why not do it?

In light of all that is going on in the country, I would like to gently suggest looking at what we value and asking ourselves if we are willing to put our money and time where our mouths are. If we aren't willing to show up when we are given the opportunity, do we have the right to moan about outcomes?

I keep reminding myself of Suze Orman's motto "People first, then money, then things." I sometimes forget that the way I spend my money and my time should reflect my values ... I have to keep reminding myself to step back occasionally and ask myself what I could do better. I've been doing that a lot the last couple months and even more the last couple weeks. I'm trying.

[cypher1]

In light of all that is going on in the country, I would like to gently suggest looking at what we value and asking ourselves if we are willing to put our money and time where our mouths are. If we aren't willing to show up when we are given the opportunity, do we have the right to moan about outcomes?

I keep reminding myself of Suze Orman's motto "People first, then money, then things." I sometimes forget that the way I spend my money and my time should reflect my values ... I have to keep reminding myself to step back occasionally and ask myself what I could do better. I've been doing that a lot the last couple months and even more the last couple weeks. I'm trying.

I hear ya on that struggle. Even before the pandemic I was trying to figure how to either donate my time in volunteering, or start contributing to charities since I have a pretty busy schedule with online classes. The riots/looting were the last straw, so I decided to start with donating 2-3% of my income to various organizations important to me, moving forward. If people want to do peaceful protests with their time, I won't argue. But I agree that I believe we all should be able to provide a portion of our time or money to others less fortunate than ourselves.

[kork13]

I've never been selected for jury duty (whether in the public courts or the military's courts martial), but I always thought that it would be interesting. Funny enough, merely being active duty military is a guaranteed pass for anyone called for jury duty (just takes an easy letter from your command or JAG) -- seems ironic, given that military members are already public servants. But we can also work out with our command to get permissive (non-charged) leave from our duties to serve on a jury, and we get paid our salary regardless.

So if I ever do get a summons, I fully expect I'd go ahead and do it without contest, if it was feasible. If nothing else, I see myself as a pretty fair/reasonable, open-minded person... so as you said, I figure I'm the kind of person that I would want on my own jury if somehow it came to that. But that's just me...I'm happy to serve (again, partly why I'm in the military).

[disneysteve]

I've always been in the group that has done what I needed to do to get out of jury duty. I never had a job that would continue to pay me if I served. Also, for 17 years, I was all but a solo practitioner. I had a partner but he had some significant personal issues and worked very little most of the time and not at all occasionally for days or weeks at a time. So if I got stuck on a jury, I would basically have been abandoning my practice for that time. He would have handled any emergencies but the backlog of work that would have been waiting for me when I returned would have been miserable. It was bad enough when I took a week's vacation. And, of course, I would have had zero income during those weeks. I was already significantly underpaid working in a very poor, under-served area. Sorry, but "people first" includes putting myself and my family first and then helping others as best we can.

Last time I got called, they denied my request to be excused. I had to take a day off of work (unpaid, of course) and spend 8 hours sitting in a room with a few dozen other people watching "Love It Or List It" all day. I played on my phone, read some magazines, and was basically bored out of my mind. Finally, I was called up to the courtroom. We were given some info about the case and then given the opportunity, one by one, to explain any reason we felt we couldn't serve. I stepped up and gave the exact same reasons I had listed on my request to be excused and the judge excused me. It would have been so much easier if they had just done that from the start and not wasted my entire day.

Despite all of that, I think jury duty is very important. And I think it's something I would actually enjoy doing. I'm a very detail-oriented person, very logical, and very balanced, willing to look at both sides of an issue and not pre-judging based on initial appearances.

I've always thought juries should draw from those most able to serve first: retirees, the unemployed, and other people without significant obligations. They also need to up the pay. Giving you a check that doesn't even cover lunch is insulting. If the job is so important, at least pay minimum wage.

Getting away from jury duty, I agree 100% that we all need to do our part, whether that means volunteering our time, donating money or materials, speaking out against injustices, or helping out in some other way, and I think my family and I do all of those things regularly, and a little more so recently given all that has been going on.

[LivingAlmostLarge]

Never been called strangely. Not sure why. So I haven't ever gone.