You Can't Legislate Away Stupidity
Posted: Monday, July 06, 2009
by Dianne Lehmann
Artisan Jewelry from SyZyGy
Do you ever wonder what's next? I do.
Recently in the news, it was reported that a significant number of emergency room visits were due to individuals taking over-the-counter medicines that contain acetaminophen and then also taking acetaminophen by itself. The overdoses were the cause of the emergency room visits and led to death in a number of cases.
I've always felt that it is my responsibility to know what I am putting into my body in what amounts and what constitutes a safe dosage. And I'm not just talking about medications here; it's just as important with the food that I eat. I learned early on that one quarter of the usual adult dosage of an antihistamine was all that I required and that I should never, ever eat squash. I also learned that the full, recommended adult dosage of an antihistamine would knock me right out for hours. My point is I don't want government trying to tell me what and when and how much of something I can or should take or eat. And yet, that is the direction in which we seem to be headed. I'll say it again, you can't legislate away stupidity. No matter what you do, some idiot will find a way to use something in such a fashion as to make themselves sick or outright dead. I don't think that the rest of us should have to suffer because of it.
Don't get me wrong, I have just as much compassion as the next person, maybe more, but the necessary information for making good decisions is printed right on the packages of these sorts of items. If someone wants to believe it must be safe to take different medicines in combination simply because they are offered for sale, they are sorely mistaken. The crazy numbers of these items that are offered for sale are offered for one reason, and one reason only to make money. Why anyone would put their health and safety in the hands of that often cited "they," I will never understand.
I know that it might be nice if there were some way for us all to stay as children in our parents homes where our parents always make all the best and right decisions for us. But that is not the case. We grow up, we become self-sufficient and we get on with life. To expect or even desire that government take the place of our parents is nave and, in my opinion, ridiculous.
You can't legislate away stupidity, but you can educate it away. So, all you movers and shakers out there in government land take note. The key to cutting costs and making lives better in general is to have a better educated populace. End of lecture or maybe that's end of rant.
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Top-level comments on this article: (9 total)hi dianne,i think sometimes, it's not stupidity, but desperation, as in deliberately taking these medications to end one's life, or for the "buzz" they some give people-in that case, definite stupidity.i don't believe anyone is to blame other than the individual that takes the medications, fully aware of the side affects if they read the box, however i also wonder how many deaths were deliberate? however, we can't protect everyone, and the masses should buy products for the right reasons, hopefully, it would be a minority, if any, that didn't.and i never want the government to be able to tell us we have to do one more thing.thanks for sharing this with us,my best to you,sueHi Sue.I don't want the government telling me one more thing to do either. As far as I'm concerned it is way to active in our personal, day-to-day lives already. That's one of the reasons we moved to Arizona. A friend of ours once said that it seemed like Arizona was where you moved to if you wanted to be left alone. I think he is right.Thanks for reading and commenting.Hugs, lots of them,Dianne
Dianne-I loved the article and could not agree more! It is a sad state when government tries to control stupid actions. I can't imagine how much it would cost to try to police stupidity :)I am not sure people even read labels in this day and age. I do not know if you notice, but Benadryl has now added the sentence, "parents should not use this medicine to make their children sleepy." I love it! At some point, we all have to take responsibility for our own actions! Thanks for a great read as usual!Hi Laura.I don't use Benadryl and neither does my husband and so we haven't seen that one. My belief is that all these warnings that make it to product labels are the results of law suits, or the possibility of law suits, against the manufacturers. I have, however, considered using it to make our cat sleepy so we can trim her claws and clean various parts. :) She's a real hellfire cat ... born feral.Seriously though, it is a sad state of affairs. And I'm not sure that it is even possible to police stupidity.Thanks for you comments.With Respect,Dianne
Rant on, Dianne! I hope you are heard. I enjoyed reading this and glad I didn't write about it last week after seeing the news report. I'm in agreement with you but things are so different when you and I were kids until this nonsense is absolutely necessary to save lives. Parenting is different. Kids are different. It boggles my mind at what seems to be common sense but is overwhelmingly complex to others in generations behind me. Do you think heating milk bottles in microwaves short circuited brain activity?
Keep ranting!
Hugs,
AvisHi Avis.Things certainly are different from when you and I were kids! Maybe that's another article right there. We rode bikes without wearing helmets, jumped off of roofs and roamed the neighborhood in packs without worry. With all the fear that is mongered these days (antibacterial soaps to the rescue and air "fresheners" to cover up that disgusting we-live-in-this-house odor), it boggles my mind that people aren't even more careful than they are to read product labels. There I go ranting again.I love your comment about the milk bottles.Thanks for reading and for the comments.Hugs,Dianne
Great article! Education and perhaps clearer labelling are the way to go I think.Maybe a standardized labelling system with the active ingredient(s) in a big brightly coloured box on the packaging along with the amount, and a warning advising the maximum amount you can take each day, summed up from all products you take that contain it. Yeah, the information is already on there, but (here in the UK at least) it isn't usually as simple or as consistent across brands as it should be (the brand is given too much importance, rather than the active ingredients)"My point is I don't want government trying to tell me what and when and how much of something I can or should take or eat"I'd disagree slightly - I think it is helpful for the government to provide some general recommendations, based on expert advice and clinical trials, if only to give us a basic frame of reference on which to base our decisions.Such recommendations should not be enforced through legislation though.Hi Ben."I'd disagree slightly - I think it is helpful for the government to provide some general recommendations, based on expert advice and clinical trials, if only to give us a basic frame of reference on which to base our decisions."I have no quarrel with that at all. In fact, I think it's great that government generally does just that by requiring manufacturers to label their products to certain guidelines. What worries me is that people do not avail themselves of all the valuable information that is available to them. There are books and books and books about medications and their side effects and safe dosages. Information can be found all over the Web on this subject. And if you don't have access to that, the information is right on the label of most products to let you know what is a generally safe dosage."Such recommendations should not be enforced through legislation though."Absolutely, and thanks for reading and commenting.Respectfully,Dianne
Loved the article , as you say "you can't fix stupid "no matter how you try.I had a thought how about this one "if one dose takes two hours then two will do it in half the time.See what I mean ? how is that mind set? loved the article take care..FrankHi Frank.That's a good thought and I can see some people looking at it that way. That's a bad mind set though. Do you know that if you drink too much water in too short of a time (it's a lot of water, but still ...) it can kill you. We know this because people have done it. Chugging a lot of milk on a dare is also not a good idea. Just about anything (foods or meds) can be "toxic" when used improperly or extremely. Luckily one of the symptoms of overdose is not always death.Thank you for reading my article and for your thoughts.Take care and be happy,Dianne
Bravo, Dianne! Once again...fantastic piece. And I say you oughta make a copy and send it to your Congressmen, Governor, and the Prez. In fact, send it more than once. One never knows whose eyes may fall on it...and do some good.By the way...it reminds me of that comedian...Bill Ingvall....."here's your sign". Remember? Perhaps the government can just start handing some of those out when boneheads happen.Hugs, Bella~CamilleHi Camille.No, I don't remember about that comedian ... but I'll have to look him up. Maybe I should make up some business cards that say "bonehead" on them and give them out when I see someone do something stupid. :) Nah, probably would never do that, but it's a funny thought.Hadn't thought about e-mailing the article to my elected officials either. Good idea.Thanks for reading and commenting.Hugs and all that,Dianne
Well-stated. The key to a well-eduacted populace is to turn off the tv and stop passing (or handing-off) bad kids to the next grade. Great job.Hi Michael.Another one of my beliefs is that good education starts at home. To expect some poor, overworked and probably not all that involved teacher to turn your child into a whiz at math or whatever is just unreasonable. And yes turning off the TV would be a start. But it would need to be replaced with reading and educational games and ... oh, I don't know what all. Unfortunately, I don't see that happening. One can hope, though.I have to say that I have learned far more on my own than I ever did in school and with the wealth of information available today, it's easy to learn. Kids should pick something that interests them and just go with it. Oh well, I really shouldn't get started on this subject.Thanks for reading and for your thoughts.Dianne
Excellent girlie-girl. I can't add anything more than what everyone else had said. Just wanted to say I hear you loud and clear :-)Hi Teresa.Thanks! I think you and your hubby are good examples of involved parenting.Big hugs,Dianne
Rant On, Dianne!The big problem is the individuals closely involved in lawmaking, and I don't just mean politicians. If someone can make a load of cash they will influence a lawmaker to help make it happen.great job here.Hi Ken.You're right. That is the other part of the problem. So what do we do about it? You know there are all these folks trying to enact laws that say a person can not use a cell phone while driving a car, but that's not the answer. I have a friend who knows that she should not do that because she has had an accident because of it and she still persists in talking on the phone while driving. Sometimes she is even crying while talking on her cell to me while driving. Aargh! People will do stupid things even if you do manage to make it against the law. Look at illegal drug abuse.Have I been ranting again?Thanks for taking the time to stop by,Dianne
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