Winter Haven, FL  News Chief  April 8, 2000

Makin' Me Crazy!

Things are happening that, in the words of that eminent philosopher and viewer of the landscape, Lewis Grizzard, “Are makin’ me crazy”.  Of course his comments were about such topics as why restaurants cook their tomatoes, but don’t cook the green beans.  My concerns are not as weighty. 

Look what is happening!  The government has threatened bankrupting legal action against a company to comply with their view of how things should be.  They forced Smith & Wesson to do business they way the Justice Department wanted it to do business.  By threatening the long stick of taxpayer subsidized lawsuits they bypass the people (by not getting congress to enact new legislation).   Thanks to the cave in, that great savior of children, trigger locks, will be sold with guns with the name Smith & Wesson. Halleluiah!  What?  Most guns are now sold with trigger locks!  Never mind…. With this action we are “Saving the Children”.  “Save the children”, the mantra of the Clinton administration. 

The Justice Department that just could not find anything wrongdoing when the President was shaking down the Chinese government for campaign contributions, very quickly spies the wrong doing of Microsoft.  If Microsoft’s  mean tactics hadn’t crushed Netscape we would all be better life.  What? You say that Netscape is still going?  And I can even browse the internet with Netscape even with the Windows operating system?  And you say that this “crushed” company was sold to AOL for Billions. Well just never mind, Bill Gates is arrogant and after all he has too much money!  Break up Microsoft…. Just like the telephone company, a better life for all!!!  Yea, right.

 The states want theirs, too.  The state attorney generals have found a new source of revenue.  They got the religion (and rich!) on the tobacco people.  Smith & Wesson was in their sights too, but they caved in before they could get billions out of them during their trip to bankruptcy and oblivion.   How un-American!  We cannot have these people cave in before we get “Our fair share”.  Isn’t it interesting..the state of Florida is getting money on the tobacco deal to pay back the government (us the taxpayers) for the costs caused by tobacco use.  Why doesn’t that money flow right back to the people who paid taxes in the form of a rebate?  Not a chance, the money is used for new programs!

 Who is next?  Well the state Attorneys General are on the prowl again.  One of their band of outlaws has thought maybe the states should sue the latex industry because some people are allergic to latex gloves.  The possibilities are endless.  After all a class action suit took $3.2 Billion to satisfy the lawyers in the breast implant “heartbreak” issue even when there was found to be no scientific evidence of harm.  Did the government lift a hand to help that company?  It sat on their hands and took all the campaign money they could from the tort lawyers. 

The legal system no longer needs evidence when deep pockets are available for the plucking.  It just takes emotion and some tears and of course “deep pockets”  Fair? NO, but so what, these companies have too much money anyway.

Now the government wants to know detailed information about our the status of our  toilets.  And if we don’t tell them we will get a fine…. Plus we will not get our “Fair Share” of the government dole.  What a racket.  Take our money, then tell us how to act so we can get some of it back.  They then have the audacity to advertise that the only way you will get your fair share of the money is to fill out the census.  

Is there any more evidence needed to conclude that the government has to be reined in? 

The founding fathers very wise include the right to bear arms.  A thief in the night is not the problem… it is the government coming to help you. 

 And, hey, just why can’t the restaurants cook their green beans?  Maybe a better question would be “Why do green beans even exist?”