Too Many Lawsuits
By Bob Branco
One of the reasons why we have become such a politically correct society is because there are too many people suing other people unnecessarily. This results in fear in the hearts of business owners, city officials, medical professionals, and many others. We can’t turn around without wondering if we did something wrong or hurt someone.
Years ago, it was easy for me to plan outings and other recreational activities. The paperwork was simple, and the cost was minimal. In the present, it is quite difficult to plan an activity because everyone is concerned about liability. Organizations who work hard to raise money have to spend most of it on insurance policies in order to protect cities and towns from being sued. What if someone falls? What if the hamburger makes you sick? What if a man accidentally bumps into a woman and touches her in a way that she thinks is inappropriate? There is so much fear out there that I wonder how long we will have successful recreational activities in this country.
In some schools, children are not allowed to play tag anymore during recess because administrators are afraid that the kids are going to get hurt. If you are a child, you can’t show affection toward another child for fear that you will be charged with sexual harassment. No one is allowed to be themselves anymore.
I think I have come up with a solution to the overabundance of lawsuits. If lawyers would stop accepting cases that appear to be ridiculous on the surface, then perhaps we could relax more. God knows how busy lawyers are to begin with because of all the other legal problems we face, meaning that they wouldn’t have time for nonsense. If a woman spills a cup of McDonald’s hot coffee on her lap which causes her legs to burn, it’s not McDonalds’ fault if she decides to put the cup between her legs in the first place. Lawyers should be intelligent enough to realize how ridiculous such a lawsuit is; but all it takes is one lawyer to file it, and this country will continue to be afraid of almost everything.
If this trend continues, law enforcement, the military, and other protective services will become so watered down that the United States will be regarded as vulnerable. Is this what we want? I say no.
(Originally published in Word Matters)
