Whatever Happened To Common Sense?

Whatever happened to our ability to judiciously apply something called 'common sense' in the USA? It appears that more and more we see less and less of it! Take our penchant for suing people/corporations and other entities. We have become the most litigious (sue happy) society the world has ever known. Right now, I can almost hear you thinking, "Yeah ... why is that?" Like all other things that simply are, it is because we permitted it to be, and we continue to do so right up to whatever day you're reading this! Our legal system is overwhelmed by the demands of morons and their money-hungry, ambulance-chasing shyster lawyers. One would think that there would be a point at which our courts would say, "No, you have no case - thank you so much for bothering us - but you may not bring suit against anybody for that." Case in point ... the little old lady who sued McDonald's, and won a $7 million judgment against them, because she chose to place a container of hot coffee between her legs (no fault of McDonald's), the coffee spilled (again, through no fault of McDonald's), burning what was probably a little-used part of her anatomy and causing her great discomfort. Yeah, I know it's old news, but it is THE prime example of this posting's title, so let's follow the steps here:

1. The old bat willfully and of her own volition, drove her automobile into a McDonald's Drive-Thru lane.
2. Upon reaching the speaker box, she probably said in a loud, clear voice (or maybe in a cracking, enfeebled voice) "Coffee."
3. When people order "coffee" at a restaurant - even a "fast food" restaurant (a designation which prompts some people to question validity of either word) it is normally served in a cup, at a temperature required to produce said beverage. The only exception to this would be if the patron said, "iced coffee."
4. When we order "coffee" we do not expect to get coffee beans or an empty container which at one time may have held coffee. Nor do we expect to get a handful or pocketful of coffee. What we have foolishly come to expect, is that the coffee will be presented to us HOT and in a vessel of some kind. Where we choose to place this vessel of HOT liquid is entirely up to us. The restaurant does not try to influence us in this decision by having suggestions printed on the cup, like "TRY BALANCING THIS CUP ON YOUR HEAD AS YOU DRIVE AWAY!" or "HOT COFFEE PLACED BETWEEN YOUR THIGHS ON A COLD DAY FEELS GREAT!"

At precisely what point in time were we absolved of suffering the consequences of our own bad choices? Am I the only one that didn't get the memo? When did it become somebody else's responsibility to pay for our individual stupidity? What the judge should have said to the old lady's attorney is, "You have no case, you moron! Where did you get your law degree, Lawyers-r-Us? What Bar did you pass? Clancy's, after you left Lawyers-r-Us? It took me 15 minutes to read your crap complaint, do you know what that cost the people of this state? You'll know when you get the bill for my time. If you ever show up here with a nuisance lawsuit like this again, I'll hold you in contempt of court and stick you in jail!"

But, instead, many courts are hearing more nuisance cases each week, and finding in favor of the plaintiff! Could it be that it's a matter of the legal profession taking care of it's own? Insuring a substantial income for even the least qualified of their brethren? This is the same reason our laws have become so complicated that the average person can no longer understand them. They used to be pretty straight-forward: "You don't do this or you go to jail." Now there are at least 11 excuses, 15 exceptions, and 47 acceptable explanations that allow the criminal to avoid going to prison. But, sadly, there are no such compensations for the victim.

We are "a nation of laws". There is no requirement for justice in our legal system any more. The law rarely takes justice into consideration these days. If you should ever have to go to court, and you go expecting justice, don't be surprised when you don't get it. Law is generally the only item on their menu ...

Your Congress In Action

Along the same lines as my last post, our Congress continues their sellout of the American worker! In 6 years (2014) we, the citizens of the United States, will be required by law to use "energy-saving light bulbs". Now, on the surface that doesn't seem like a big deal, right? Most of us are willing to make some adjustments in order that we may:

1. reduce our personal expenses for utilities.
2. do what we can to help to conserve available energy resources.

We are, therefore, responsible custodians of our limited personal financial resources, while simultaneously doing our part to preserve our environmental resources. And we feel good about it! Now let's examine the concept a little closer ...

We've all seen "energy-saving light bulbs" in the stores. They're those odd-looking, twisty fluorescent bulbs that resemble a Dairy Queen cone, and claim increased light for less power consumption. The package usually says something like, "Get 70 watts of light for only 25 watts of power", or words to that effect. And they carry the names of well-known, repsected American manufacturers, such as General Electric and Sylvania, among others. These bulbs are classed as Compact Fluorescent Lamps, or CFL's, and although they cost more than twice as much as a similar incandescent bulb, they claim a useful life of 6,000 or more hours - which could easily offset the initial purchase cost ... until you break one!

One person, in Ellsworth, Maine, could be looking at an unforeseen expense of about $2,004.28 - which is the price quoted for cleanup by the U.S. Department of Environmental Protection. The CFL's are filled with mercury, which is a pollutant, and there are specific laws covering the cleanup of pollutants.

There is only one place in the world where these CFL's are made - CHINA! Aren't we using enough things that are made in China? Pet foods that kill our pets, toys with lead-based paints, and toxic toothpastes aren't enough of a clue to Chinese manufacturing quality to make us choose to do something different? I'd rather burn candles, or oil lamps ... or ignite stock certificates for GE & Sylvania, than use more crap made in China! And here's where you can find the details ...
http://youtube.com/watch?v=e-LOtKIIKcg . This YouTube post is NOT something that a kid created from some herb-induced state of mind - it's a video taken on the floor of the United States House of Representatives, and it's worth seeing and hearing!

I'm Gil, and I approve this blog!