Okay, this is gonna be a question that might offer an "ah-ha" moment or it is just gonna make you question who is really at fault these days, but here goes.....
I just watched, on a news report, this morning an excerpt on a couple of things and it had me thinking. There was an accident on a railway in Chicago that resulted in "head-on" collision between two trains. Many people were injured and the accident is still being investigated because there was nobody manning the second train that crashed into the other. Yep, somehow a train went rogue in the holding yard and drove off on its own, causing the accident.
While there were no fatalities, there were some injured people. Not quite sure of the extent of these injuries, but of course, the mainstream media does not offer all information. Just the stuff that grabs your attention, scares the snot out of you and/or causes you to react in an angered, yet controlled manner. I call this selective sensationalism for the masses. Half-stories make for more reaction than the full story, right?
While with this limited information that we were told, there was a mention that the first lawsuit was already put in the works. Yep, one person is suing the rail company for $50,000 in damages.
Really?!?!?!? Fifty-thousand dollars????? How does one come to that number for what has been portrayed as an accident that resulted no fatalities, but multiple injuries? I mean, on a reasonable thinking person's perception.... the risk for an accident can happen anywhere and at any time. While it has been noted that an accident in an airplane is less likely than one in a car, there are still accident potentials laying in wait. Heck, walking across the street is quite risky, but people take these risks every day.... willingly. Accidents are just that.... accidents.... and not intentionally done. If it was... it would be seen as an intentional act to harm themselves or others. This was not the case here.... it was clearly an accident, but there just happens to always be someone that can place a price tag on their demise and this one decided that 50K sounds reasonable and just.
Well, it had me thinking..... People sue for just about the most mundane reasons and a few that popped to my mind this morning are these.... There was a woman that sued McDonald's restaurants for the burns she received from spilling hot coffee in her lap in her car. Really? Her first mistake was placing said hot coffee between her legs while she drove in her car. Basically, it was a common sense mishap, but insisted on cashing in on it. Then there was another woman (sorry folks, these are ones I remember as head scratching ones and it just so happens to be women over-reacting) that tried to sue a clothing manufacturer over the way her pants no longer fit like they used to. According to this person, she has bought the same size of jeans for many years and somehow that size no longer fits her just right and it resulted in buying a bigger size. Sure, she could have gained weight, but apparently it is easier to sue a clothing company over a size number on her clothes. Talk about the critical mind! Then there are some random ones that I believe happen far too often and do not get major media press to and that is..... medical claims.
Doctors being sued for errors (and in quite a few... non-errors), procedures, medicines, and treatments administered are big money makers. We all see the commercials on TV and hear the ones on the radio about "class action lawsuits" over one thing or another. Apparently, people forget that there is a risk everywhere and even the most cautionary people can fall victim just like the most daring people. Call it fate, call it fighting the odds, but in the end it is simply this..... life is a risk.
Now, here is my question for you all..... does suing every person for something the nobody has control over going to make a positive difference in the long haul? The cost of medical care is on the rise and most of it is due to paying for insurance to protect ourselves. Doctors with malpractice insurance, patients with medical coverage suing for more, and people that opt to not have (or afford) medical coverage expecting someone else to cover the bill. Heck, when it comes down to the bare bones minimum.... this country has the best and the worst all wrapped into one package. It is how people utilize the system and when the system is bunk.... everyone suffers. Look at the current shutdown of government. We are going in 3 days of government employees being forced to not work because there is a clashing of the minds in the White House. We have multiple sides refusing to listen to one another and how everything is at a standstill and the innocent people are suffering while the big-wigs still get paid to have their temper tantrums. The different sides are these.... one side wants what they want while the other does not agree and there is the third and elusive group that just have no strong feelings either way. Kind-of like a team at a standstill and a simple solution at hand. Of course, you cannot fit a square peg in a round hole, but you do have the tools to shave the corners off the square peg to make it easier to fit it in that round hole. It is just taking the concept and changing it slightly to make it work. Sadly, our government sees their square peg as something you cannot alter to fit that round hole and refuses to even attempt to try to alter it. What is even more sad is the masses that have to suffer because nobody wants to play well with others. What we do need is an intervention as well as a "come to Jesus" moment for every one of them. They have lost focus on the bigger picture for a really long time and it would be prudent that they took this moment to do just that..... take a look at the damage they are capable of and get a-cracking on a reasonable solution. To put aside their differences and find common ground. Then and only then, can they work well with others and find an answer that everyone can live with. Obviously, the first step is to stop trying to force a legacy upon the masses that is not exactly the right fit for those that do not make a six-digit income. Heck, I am lucky our home makes a low-end 5-digit income and trust me.... it barely gets us by. Oh heck..... Lets just yank the damn blinders off these people and get them to see that there is more at stake than they think! That we are individuals with individual needs and there is not one simple answer, but there should be options available. And I am talking about the right to choose!!!!
Since when is it required for our government to make it mandatory for all something that people may choose to not have for their own personal reasons? I mean, there are healthy people buying insurance for the guarantee that they are covered, but they should not be forced to cover the difference to those that choose not to have coverage. It should be available that those that seek coverage need to have it available at a reasonable and livable cost. If not, there should be services available that the state, government and local municipality to provide at their cost to those that cannot afford it and have that control to make the decision for these people.... not the masses that select privatized coverage. Isn't that what we did have before this fiasco? It did work quite well for many years, so why rock the boat or try to fix something that was not broke in the first place. Oh, that's right.... someone wants a legacy to leave behind and chose to make this his legacy and refuses to play well with others.
Oh well, back to the usual day of cooking, cleaning, beads and books. Have a great day everyone!!!!
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