When the sea of societal ills is so shallow that “phone calls I don’t like” is scraped from the bottom and added to the legislative agenda, when the public tolerance for disagreeable things has dropped so low that “I have to hold my breath” is a complaint worthy of the commiseration of 100,000 radio listeners, we have a problem.
Traits essential to the building of nations and preservation of democracies — reason, resolve, creativity, self-reliance, common sense — are no longer holding their own against the tide of the emotive, reactionary, self-obsessed and risk averse. The foundations built by those pioneering forefathers, upon which our unparalleled wealth and security were built, are cracking under the weight of regulation, litigation and personal entitlement. The nannies are staging a coup. They’ve moved out of the nursery to seize control of the family business.
–Catherine McMillan, A modest proposal for curing a whiny nation
There’s a movement in Halifax to discourage the use of cologne as it’s smell might offend someone – anyone – in a public place. Perhaps the book and 1949 movie “Mrs. Mike”, set in the early 20th Century north of Calgary and depicting the ruggednes of life there at that time, should be recommended reading.
“Catherine McMillan is a freelance commercial artist living in Delisle, Sask.”
hmmm…
There’s one good way for big (or small) busines to avoid litigation, more regulation, etc., etc. Stop doing some of the questionable practices that beg for more litigation and regulation.
I saw a Mall Stroller the other day. In the back was a bag for packages. It had the warning, in big letters:
“CAUTION! DO NOT PUT BABY IN BAG!”
You know, you just KNOW, that that was there because someone DID, and then sued the company.