Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend by the name of
Common Sense who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure

how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic

Red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such value

lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets

the worm and that life isn't always fair.



Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than

you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not kids, are in charge).



His health began to rapidly deteriorate when well intentioned but

over bearing regulations were set in place.



Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for

kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash

after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student,

only worsened his condition. It declined even further when schools

were required to get parental consent to administer aspirin to a

student; but, could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant

and wanted to have an abortion



Finally,Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became

contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than

their victims.



Common Sense finally gave up the ghost after a woman failed to realize that a steaming

cup of coffee was hot, she spilled a bit in her lap, and was awarded a huge settlement.



Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust, his wife, Discretion;

his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. Also, a brother, Consideration for Other People.

He is survived by two stepbrothers; My Rights and Ima Whiner.



Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still know him pass

this on, if not join the majority and do nothing.


Just thought I would share this..

ash

Any lawyers out there care to speculate on what makes all of this nonsense possible??

Liberalism perhaps?

myash07

it isn't the stupid remarks about lawyers or liberalism.

i think it started when both parents felt they needed to work either to support themselves, perhaps a real necessity, or support themselves better then they could with only one paycheck, greed.

the kids were not raised as much as they raised themselves and the parents guilt at not being real parents, resulted in a let the kids have their way attitude.

when i see kids 10 or 12 years old walking around with a cell phone in their ear that probably cost their parents $500.00 to $1000.00 a year i wonder too what has happened to common sense.

the kids graduate high school, buy a brand new car, take a few courses at a local jr college, and live at home in the nest free when they should be out making their own way and their own life, the parents are to blame.

i believe we are in the second or third generation of this death and i think it will only get worse.

very few of the young adults voted in the last election and regardless who they would have voted for, they didn't participate.

people that say the good old days weren't that good, but they were in terms of personal resbonsibility and the need to not just have children, but to raise them to become of value to themselves and society.

Conservatism perhaps? Tee Hee. X

IMHO Rick you made some very good points....Later....Erik

Rick,
I agree with most points, but also thought that there are some things you should realize.....
My son has a cell phone that he pays for, he is 16 and if he has trouble paying for it, I pay for it.
He has diabetes, so it is important that he has a way to call his doctor or my wife and I in an emergency.
So yes, we make sure he has a cell phone. I see nothing wrong with that.
Even paying for it completely, it only costs me $240/year for his cell phone usage.

I have to disagree with this comment though....
----i think it started when both parents felt they needed to work either to support themselves, perhaps a real necessity, or support themselves better then they could with only one paycheck, greed.-----
While my wife did not work until my youngest was 10, she does work now. She took a job that allowed her to go to work after the boys went to school and get home before they got home, but we know alot of parents who both parents barely make minimum wage. It is pretty near impossible for them to survive on one income.

And the good old days were good. Far better than they are now, in my opinion. I would hate to be a kid in today's world.

Op,
Read Ricks post again.
His examples exclude situations like you discussed.

Rick is correct regarding the lack of parental responsibility. But that's only part of it.

The sense of entitlement that is fostered by the liberal ilk has much more to do with the overall picture.
Parents feel entitled to a bigger house, so they shirk their true parental duties.
People feel entitled to get oodles of money from "corporate america" if there is any type of accident. Even if they should have known better.

People think they are entitled to never be offended, no matter how thin skinned they are.
The 10 Commandments outside a courthouse are somehow equivalent to capturing an atheist and force feeding Biblical verse and chapter.

It is the Entitlement mentality, and it IS derived from the liberal left.

Rickamaven,

Go ahead and call me stupid, but I still think that there is a percentage of unscrupulous lawyers, judges (ex-lawyers), and legislators (ex-lawyers) that are propogating this sort of nonsense.

And which generation, exactly, are you picking on? It seems that the root causes of most of the examples given in the initial post were not associated with the younger generation(s), but with the generation that is now lawyers, judges, and legislators.

I am thirty-something, and I certainly don't agree with a lot of what is going on in our country. I was raised by a single working parent, and I still learned accountability and responsibility. Perhaps I am an exception to your rule, but growing up with a single mother taught me self-reliance & the value of a dollar.

And what do cell phones have to do with ANYTHING?? If it were my kid, I'd rather have them buy a cell-phone than tie up my line talking with friends. Most of the kids I know pay for it themselves anyway. There will always be a privledged few with new cars, etc. I suppose that it was always that way. I drove a VW bus that I bought for $200 and fixed up. Most kids around my area drive beat up cars. Many still mow grass and shovel snow for cash. The ones that don't go to college show up at my plant asking for jobs. Maybe, it is a regional thing, I don't know.

These are the good old days.

i don't know why it took me so long to read this thread.

rick, i'm with you 100%. the breakdown of the family is a huge (in my opinion, the primary) contributor to the problems of our society. i believe that too many people are being raised without the guidance that teaches personal responsibility and self sufficiency. i never thought i'd say this, but, rick, i couldn't agree with you more.

0patience

we agree more then you know. your son is not the 10 year old indulged child. i carry the the glucoase tablets myself.

as soon as toby became pregnant she gave her two week notice. when we opened the business in 73 ross was 9 and bradley was 7. we all ate supper together and not in front of a tv set. wh talked and talked and talked because my acorns did not fall far from the tree.

after we had been working together a year or so, one of my sons called the office at about 4:00 an hour or so before we closed and said he was hungry. toby told him to turn around and tell her what he saw. the icebox he said. toby hung up on him then. both of their wives were surprised when they discovered their husbands cooked, cleaned and knew how to shop.

andytv

i believe you fortunate to live in a good area.

as keelor says

"where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking and all the children are above average"

andytv

i know you are not stupid and there are a percentage of lawyers that take a spilled, hot cup of coffee, and turn it into a business.

and yes it is not the curren generation of kids in their early teens that have caused the lack of reponsibility to be so prevelant, it was their parents and maybe their grandparents that started the process, but started it was.

all is not lost. i'm sure you can remember the same kind of youngsters you met who were working in a store or learning a new job that showed the kind of responsibility that you remember you had as a youngster. the people at arby's that actually look directly at you and smile and remember you were there before, the 18 year old that i met working at a fast food restaurant in vegas, owned by the hotel, that was on his way to management, not at the fast food counter, but as part of the hotel management, a position he will earn. all is not lost, these things have a way of singing back the other way. i hope it doesn't take a major revolution to get the pendulem going the other way.

To me sometimes, it seems that what we view as irresponsibility is just stupidity.........and kids are stupid. I was and you were, and even the smart ones do stupid crap. I know better than them, and you know better than me, but will they listen to me, and I will I listen to you?? Nah.

Parents in my age group (in this area anyway) are frustrated with the fact that they are having to work so much harder to be the influence in their kid's upbringing. You may disagree, but school and "the media" are presenting a lifestyle that conflicts with what many think is appropriate. We all want to be the "cool parents", but you can only pull that off with exceptional children.

Perhaps the breakdown of family started the ball rolling, but its momentum is being maintained by many other influences. I think the pendulum has started to swing; the 30-something generation has been exposed to Gen-X and we don't like it. WE (I) are making plans to raise our children the way we were raised.

Rick'

I am amazed, I agree with your points! Better go and see my Shrink on this one!

Charlie

Rick'

I am amazed, I agree with your points! Better go and see my Shrink on this one!

Charlie

Whoops double post, I was so damn shocked that I actually agreed with Rick!

Charlie

Common Sense finally gave up the ghost after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot, she spilled a bit in her lap, and was awarded a huge settlement.

Obviously someone doesn't know the facts on this particular case. The actual case is very little like this myth that is perpetuated.

well, please enlighten us. i'd love to hear a version of this story that would justify such an incredible settlement. please, do tell.

I agree with almost everything that has been said here. I would like to add a little of my own...I think that the death of common sense started in the 1950's. Those were the good ole days, but something else was happening. People had money to spend and there were great new inventions to spend it on. It became a symbol of wealth if you could keep up with the proverbial Jones's. The problem is that this mentality continues to this day. Fifty years later we are still keeping up with the Jones except the Jones drive Thirty thousand dollar SUV's, are willing to pay 400,000 dollars for a three bedroom home in california and feel that they must be talking to someone on the phone at all hours of the day and night. Women are forced into the workplace, and children are left on their own. They are growing up quickly without the care and support they need to help them make good decisions. Since they no longer have their parents to tell them what is right and wrong, they have celebrities to do it for them. Students in my high school classes look up to Paris Hilton, 50 cent and others as role models. If the parents are at home it's often because they are on welfare. Now that welfare is into its fourth generation, many people have been passing it down to their children as a viable option in life. Their parents look to the government to solve all of their problems and feel as sense of entitlement to everything that working America has. Their kids feel the same way. They feel they are owed something. They choose not to study or learn any basic life skills because they know there is a safety net for those who don't. These same kids on welfare have computers, cell phones, cable television, and plenty of junk food. They have learned from their parents that if you scream loud enough, someone will cave in and give you what you want. If that doesn't work, go to a grocery store and find a grape on the floor to slip on. Many of them are having unprotected sex because the system doesn't tell them that having sex before your married is wrong. Instead we try and solve the problem by giving out condoms. They are drinking way too early because parents have this strange notion that "I let my kids drink in the house because at least I know where they are..." this type of thinking is ridiculous. Instead parents ought to be laying down rules and enforcing them. My parents did this to me and I was ticked off at them for doing it. In the long run, however, I am very grateful. My wife and I both came from good homes and were afraid to make mistakes because we had respect for our parents. That respect was earned because we saw the kinds of things that our parents went through to support us.

The question is...can we ever get this common sense back? I don't think so. I think it the system has spun too far out of control and unless there is some sort of revolution, the problem will continue to get worse and worse