Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, 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 valuable lessons as: Knowing when to come in out of the rain; Why the early bird gets the worm; Life isn’t always fair, and Maybe it was my fault.
Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don’t spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge). His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place.
Reports of a 6-year-old boy being charged with sexual harassment for kissing a female classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and when a Teacher was fired for reprimanding unruly students… only worsened his condition.
Common Sense lost ground when parents verbally attacked & sued teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their rude, unruly & out of control children.
It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted an abortion.
Common Sense lost the will to live as the Churches became businesses; and when courts became more concerned about the convicted criminal’s rights and the convicts began to receive better treatment than the victims of their crimes.
Did anyone see this? This was a letter sent and printed in The Times:
Common Sense took a beating when one could be prosecuted for defending yourself from a burglar in your own home; and the yet burglar could sue you for assault. He finally went into a coma after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap and was promptly awarded a huge out-of-court settlement.
Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; and by his wife, Discretion; by his daughter, Responsibility and by his son, Reason.
He is survived by his five (5) stepbrothers: I Know my Rights; I Want It Now; It’s not my Fault; But I’m a Victim and The Government Owes it to Me (AKA What About Me?).
Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone.