What Ever Happened To ...... Part I

What ever happened to COMMON SENSE?

I understand that it was slowly and painfully eroded by stupidity and laziness and the need to blame others for our own mistakes.  How, you wonder.  Well there was a time when 'if something wasn't broke, you didn't mess with it'.  There was a time when you learned from your mistakes and didn't make the same ones over and over again expecting things to change.  There was a time when you received a hot cup of coffee or tea or cocoa you checked the lid first before putting it to your lips to make sure it didn't spill.  Or if it did spill you didn't sue McDonald's because they didn't tell you how hot it was.  Come on, it's coffee; its been brewing in an urn all morning;  IT'S GONNA BE HOT!!!!!!

Now because some idiot sued McDonald's over spilled coffee there are warning signs on just about everything.  I haven't looked but I am sure that somewhere on my store there is a warning sticker that says that if you turn the stove on the burners will get hot and to keep your hands and extremities away.  We have stickers or language on microwave food warning us that the food will be hot when removed from the microwave.  Well isn't that what you want?  Cause if you want it to be cold or just barely warm, remove it from the freezer and let it sit out on the counter for a couple of hours and ...what for it.... lukewarm food.

There was a time when you took responsibility for your own mistakes.  That was part of growing up, taking responsibility.  You didn't blame the school system, the fact that you came from a broken home, the color of your skin, religion, etc, etc.  You overcame obstacles, you didn't blame them for your poor choices.  Parents believed in making their children take responsibility for doing homework, doing their chores, behaving in class, etc.  They attack the teacher or the school system for "picking" on their child because he/she was black, Asian, white or from a broken home.  I grew up poor.  We didn't know we were poor but we were.  We didn't have a lot of things that other kids had.  But we went to school, were bullied (at least I was) and learned to deal with it.  We lived outside of town on a small farm so I didn't participate in a lot of after school activities.  Mom didn't drive and dad worked long hours and I didn't get my first car until I could pay for it myself after I graduated from high school.  Did I miss out on things?  Yes I did, do I blame them or my parents for the poor choices I made after that?  No.  These were my choices.

Choices and understanding the consequences of making those choices helps sustain common sense.  Unfortunately, we have become lazy and prefer to blame others for the consequences of our poor choices, thus the demise of Common Sense.  RIP Common Sense, you are greatly missed.

Chik-Fil-A -- Tempest in Teapot?

The recent outcry regarding the personal opinion voiced by the CEO of Chik-Fil-A reflects just how far removed we have become from the nation formed by our founding fathers.  I could understand the outrage if they had indicated they would not serve openly gay individuals, or hire openly gay individuals.  But by merely stating that he believes that marriage is only between a man and a woman he is stating just that.  He believes that marriage is between a man and a woman.  This is in line with their Christian operating philosophy.  To me this is equivalent to boycotting them because they are closed on Sundays.  Personally I would love to see the old "Blue" laws reinstated.  Businesses would either be closed entirely or open after 1 pm on Sunday. 

To condemn an individual or a business because they do not believe the same as we do is about as far away from freedom of speech, religious freedom and probably many other freedoms as you can get.  Personally I believe that love knows no color or other boundaries.  You can't force people to love who or what you want them to. 

Slowly but ever surely many of the very freedoms guaranteed us in the Constitution are being stripped away not by a majority but by very vocal minorities.  In an effort to become more politically correct and not offend anyone, we offend everyone.  I firmly believe in the Bill of Rights and the Constitution as written by our founding fathers. They are as valid today as they were over 200 years ago.  You have only to look around the globe to see genocide in countries where freedoms either never existed or were applicable to a few.  Is this our future?  Are we destined to go the way of the Romans, the early Greeks, the Persians and the other great civilizations that flourished and then disappeared?

I firmly believe in the saying "Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it".  There are many instances in our own history and that of others that we can learn from. 

The Chik-Fil-A controversy:  Tempest in a teapot or Tip of the iceberg.