Volume 1: Balloons Are Not Edible

I was at Sam's club on Saturday with my daughter and as we finished going through the store, she located helium filled balloons at the cash registers in the front. She yelled "BALLOON!", so I told her to ask the nice cashier if she could have a balloon (thinking that there was no way someone could resist a 21 month old asking nicely for a balloon). However, the cashier said that another kid choked on one of the balloons, so they could no longer give them out. The gist was that Sam's Club was not about to get sued by some parents who didn't realize that their kids can't eat latex. That sounds harsh, but it is the truth. Americans have become scared to do things out of fear of being sued.

People need to understand that frivolous lawsuits are a major part of what is ailing this nation. They think they can sue people, companies, or even governments for their own payday. These lawsuits cost everyone in the long run. The only people who seem to benefit are the lawyers who push people to sue. I am sure people have heard of the lawsuit involving a woman who suffered burns from McDonald's coffee that she decided to put between her legs so she could add cream and sugar. Murphy's law indicated that the coffee would spill on her thighs. So, basically, she got burned by hot coffee and a jury awarded her $2.86 million. It was later reduced on appeal, but the bottom line is that some idiot that didn't realize that coffee is a hot beverage spilled some on herself and received close to $1 million for her troubles. I am sure there are thousands of lawsuits every year that are similar in nature. I can go on and on, and I will at a later posting, but seriously, it is not just tort reform that needs to happen in this country. We need to reform our own ways and the need to get a quick payday. It is all of our responsibilities.

Picture this: A 21 month child subjected to going to a warehouse club to pass the time while her mother was meeting with a design consultant. The kid's only wish is for a helium balloon that she sees as they are leaving. However, she is denied by a lawsuit fearing, job protecting cashier because some kid's parents didn't realize that balloons are not edible. What is wrong with that picture?

Please comment and let's try to solve the problems that we face as a nation. Let's not rely on elected leaders, but they are part of a government that is of the people, by the people and for the people.