So true............<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /><o:p></o:p>
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London Times Obituary of the late Mr. Common Sense<o:p></o:p>
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'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.<o:p></o:p>
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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.<o:p></o:p>
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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).<o:p></o:p>
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His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6-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.<o:p></o:p>
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Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an Elastoplast to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.<o:p></o:p>
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Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.<o:p></o:p>
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Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.<o:p></o:p>
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Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, 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 settlement.<o:p></o:p>
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Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers.<o:p></o:p>
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I Know My Rights,<o:p></o:p>
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I Want It Now<o:p></o:p>
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It's Not My Fault, and<o:p></o:p>
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I'm A Victim.<o:p></o:p>
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Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.'<o:p></o:p>
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And a little extra........................<o:p></o:p>
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Can you imagine working for a company that has a little more than 600 employees and has the following statistics?<o:p></o:p>
29 have been accused of spouse abuse,<o:p></o:p>
7 have been arrested for fraud, <o:p></o:p>
19 have been accused of writing bad cheques, <o:p></o:p>
117 have directly or indirectly bankrupted at least 2 businesses, <o:p></o:p>
3 have done time for assault, <o:p></o:p>
71 cannot get a credit card due to bad credit, <o:p></o:p>
4 have been arrested on drug-related charges, <o:p></o:p>
8 have been arrested for shoplifting, <o:p></o:p>
21 are currently defendants in lawsuits, <o:p></o:p>
84 have been arrested for drink driving in the last year. <o:p></o:p>
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Which organization is this?<o:p></o:p>
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It's the 635 members of the House of Commons, the same group that cranks out hundreds of new laws each year designed to keep the rest of us in line.<o:p></o:p>
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I rest my case.<o:p></o:p>
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I think sadly that many may read this and either not make it all the way through - or reach the end and agree, but not post because this is not (I hope) a political website
But to say my piece
We live in a generally f*cked up world
Most of us know this
1)Some of us actively do something about it
2)Some of us show concern
3)Some of us don't care
It really isn't that hard to move up and down that scale
Belonging to classes 1 and 2 may not change your life, but belonging to class 3 definitely won't
Sorry - Sermon over (and believe me this has made me re-evaluate too)
What can individuals do in order to let the memory of common sense stay alive.
I work as a community care worker, on a very large housing estate where 95 % are honest hard working people, the other 5 %, please excuse me, but should have just been put down at birth.
I try to live my life honestly and with all the morals and standards that were inbred in me when i was a child.
Is this enough.
You end up standing out in the crowd and feeling screwed up.
Any suggestions please.
I totally agree that teachers should be an extension of parental control... we had a lot more respect for our teachers when you knew you would feel a slipper on your arse if you back-chatted or dared to show physical violence in any way... and besides which, I was brought up to respect my elders, something I am trying to teach my own son now...
these days kids seem to be in control more at school, i.e. they know they will just be "excluded" if they misbehave... and are happy about that!
I TOTALLY understand why "smacking" has been stopped, due to those few who would take it too far and harm kids, but I have to say that my dad's smack on the back of my leg, just the once I can remember, did me no harm at all (apart from the mortification of actually wetting myself from the shock!! LOL)... and those kids at school who received the "slipper" were more shamed into not misbehaving again than the actual sting of the punishment!
And the dinner ladies who used to comfort a crying child who had fallen over at play time must be worried sick these days in case a child grabs them for comfort and someone reports them for being too personal... THATS what makes me upset... knowing that if my son hurts himself at school he won't get the cuddle he needs until I come and pick him up from school.
I'm not saying I am in favor of bringing back corporal punishment or anything like that, but I am just saying that times have definately changed and I'm not sure its all for the best...
I had better get off my soap box now!!!
5 attempts to put a reply on here and scrubbed the lot this is a can of worms that is only going to get worse
nothing will change as long as polititians live in there ivory towers and dont see what the common man on the street has to live with
Ray if youve had a problem 5 times trying to post then i can almost guarentee its ur PC. Ive got the same problem when i use my laptop, because the wireless network isnt strong enough in my house. I have no problem on a wired network though, and ive posted thousands of messages :-)
common sense has been allowed to be eroded by us"the common man"and along with it"honesty".But what can we expect when we tell our kids to 'own-up'to there misdemeanors,and then dont do the same ourselves....this ranges from petty things like 'diving' on a football pitch,then argueing with the ref,even though 15 million viewers saw them do it....to whinging about a speeding ticket.whether you agree with cameras or not,or if they are sited correctly.If your breaking the law n get caught...put your hands-up n say...its a fair cop Guv.People think they are only guilty if there solicitors dont get them off.There is a line...if you cross it,be big enough to admit it.
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