Accountability and Common Sense, where'd it go?

[Moxie]

Beginning of a Rant.

Accountability and common sense seems lacking in society today. Well it appears that way to me. There are two areas of concern for me personally and morally one is lack of parenting by parents today, our youth seem lost and unsupervised. Yet we as a society are blamed when the child is in conflict with the law, hello where'd that socialist dogma come from. If a child is having issues and becomes in conflict with the law blame the child and the parents, my fault as a member of society I don't think so. Ergo lack of accountability and common sense.

The second issue is Over Governance by our elected officials, from the municipal level to the federal we are being smothered with this new Nanny Nation mantra. I don't want government in my life, I elect them to run my town, my province and my country. Yet they feel entitled to enact stupid laws to interfer with my quality of life, I'm tired of the interferance. Anyone else had enough of being Nannyed?? Is it because we have lost the ability to think and act for ourselves or have we become complacent in telling government to pluck off and get out of our lives. We are over regulated, bullied and abused into participating in laws that are stupid and restrictive to our quality of life.

Here are some of the issue that came up that gave me the idea to start this duel thread:

While talking with my husband last night he mentioned a patient that died, three young males under 17 were driving without seat belts and the driver being drunk at 1 in the afternoon crashed his car. He died the other two are critical. When I was at the age many moons ago it had been instilled into me (with force and vigor by moral and religious parents) that you NEVER drink and drive. Why are so many of our youth floundering and dying because of lack of parental supervision. For someone to be drunk shortly after noon tells me this young man wasn't getting any adult supervision. It's common sense to not drink and drive, why are so many of our youth lacking in this area?

The second area of concern is our courts, recently a young man appeared before the courts charged with stealing his 201 car. He yet again gets probation, his attitude was so disrepectful towards our laws in fact he was taunting the cop who arrest him. When will we wake up and hold thugs like this young man accountable?

The judge stated the youth was a victim of society, WTF is that the new buss word of the left/left to excuse the inexcusable. I failed this child how? Frankly a baseball bat and a few minutes behind my barn and I'd show this kid what happens when you fail at common sense and you don't accept accountablity for your actions. We coddle our youth, when they fail we as a society are blamed-hello what about the parents why aren't they held unaccountable? As I asked in the original OP where have common sense and personal accountability gone?

On to the Nanny Nation mentality, in my town we have Garbage Police. Yep they search our trash, with out a warrent, digging for any contraband items like cardboard or gasp plastic. Are they trained garbage police, nope no Haz-Mat training no gloves no mask donned yet they appear from City Hall wearing suits and dresses and commence to searching my trash. Does my town have a problem with people who don't recycle NO, yet they feel the need to search our trash in hopes we offend. I find this policy offensive to the extreme. To assume without evidence I'm guilty of an infraction and then they look for evidence, what is scary is that it's perfectly legal visa vie a bylaw.

The second issue, I'm building a new shed. Well Herr Mayor and her merry band of SS agents enforce a strick bylaw code that a shed must meet the same inspections as a new house. Having lived all over Canada I realise it's common to get a building permit but five inspections to build a baby barn. Hello, yes I can dig a hole for the footings but I'm not allowed to fill the hole until it's inspected. I can build the walls and trusses but I can't install them without an inspection. For the love of democracy get the hell out of my life. I cannot believe the level of interferance by government.

Nova Scotia has passed a new law requiring the removal of your brakes when you get your yearly inspection, as a result garages are charging customers a princely sum to repair faulty breaks or you fail the inspection. Well a little undercover work by the media has turned up this little tidbit; garages are gauging and cheating the customers and there is nothing legally we can do. To add insult to injury if you drive away from a garage with a "FAIL" sticker on your car (perhaps you'd like a second opinion or you can fix the brakes in your driveway for a fraction of the cost) the garages are calling the cops who show up at your home and fine you a 150 dollars. If that isn't enough to send one to the dark side we've had two women killed by their spouses these men had no insurance, no license and no registration. They both have a stack of driving infractions against them but that's okay. Two women died because of their negligence and these men face no criminal charges. So would someone explain where did accountability and common sense went.

I don't like the path Canada is on, I want parents held accountable for the monsters they raise. I want this new urban myth of blaming "Society" beaten into dust because it's another example of the left/left finding someone to blame ergo pandering and appeasement cir logic. I want the bloody government to go to hell or at least leave me the pluck alone.

Rant over.

[Drea]

I don't like the path Canada is on, I want parents held accountable for the monsters they raise. I want this new urban myth of blaming "Society" beaten into dust because it's another example of the left/left finding someone to blame ergo pandering and appeasement cir logic. I want the bloody government to go to hell or at least leave me the pluck alone.

Rant over.

Moxie, I too believe in accountability. Those gangstas are a product of their upbringing. A product of "You can't make me I'll go to social services!".

On that "last line"...

Does this mean you are for:

a.) personal choice with regard to abortion?

b.) personal choice with regard to substances that may be deemed harmful?

c.) personal choice to marry the person you love regardless of gender?

d.) the freedom from/of religion in the public arena?

e.) the option to spank a child for discipline purposes?

Edited July 15, 2007 by Drea

[Bonam]

Accountability and Common Sense, where'd it go?

Down the drain.

[AmericanPop]

Accountability and common sense seems lacking in society today. Well it appears that way to me. There are two areas of concern for me personally and morally one is lack of parenting by parents today, our youth seem lost and unsupervised. Yet we as a society are blamed when the child is in conflict with the law, hello where'd that socialist dogma come from. If a child is having issues and becomes in conflict with the law blame the child and the parents, my fault as a member of society I don't think so. Ergo lack of accountability and common sense.

What evidence do you have to substantiate the claim that youth today are "lost and unsupervised"? And to which generation is this in relation to? The last time I checked crime rates have dropped substantially since 1991, and a higher percentage of this generation are attending post-secondary than their baby boomer predecessors. Young people seem lost because they are lost, its a healthy part of one's life cycle to experience an identity crisis during adolescence and into adulthood. I consent, Accountability is lacking, but not because of a flawed system or a decrease in "supervision", but because there are less and less teens going down the wrong path.

Edited July 16, 2007 by AmericanPop

[Mad_Michael]

Beginning of a Rant.

Cicero has an excellent essay on the subject of the immorality/laziness/indiscipline of youth.

Apparently every generation since the beginning of time has had the opinion that the current generation of youth is immoral, lazy, lacks discipline, common sense, or whatever.

Making this particular rant just puts you into the catatory of mature, albeit slightly cranky, adult human. Its not just you. This is a very common rant going back thousands of years.

As for drunk drivers, the vast majority encountered/arrested by police are well over the age of 21. The majority of convictions, and especially for multiple convictions, of DUI are for drivers over age 30. Statistically, teens don't show up as drunk drivers any more than any other category.

You got a thing against youth this morning?

As for your building inspectors, are you glad they did their job when your house was built and you bought it? Had your roof cave in or walls collapse? Did you get ripped off when you bought your house? No? Maybe the building inspectors did their jobs well back then.

And the person who buys your house off you twenty years down the road might be glad that your construction of that shed/barn thing was subject to building inspectors when he parks his collection of million dollar sports cars in that barn.

And as for city hall picking through your trash, what is it that you have to hide? City hall is responsible for your trash (picking it up, sorting it, disposing it, recycling it, etc). They have every right to pick through it and hassle you if you are breaking laws that they have established for optimal efficiency of the operation.

I agree however that for City Hall to engage in such garbage-poking activities not in a Haz-Mat suit sounds dangerous.

As for the courts, that is a serious problem. I guess just having the option between 'slapping wrists' and 'incarceration' really sucks. Especially when the jails are stuffed full already with minor criminals.

Don't blame the courts - they are just following the laws.

So would someone explain where did accountability and common sense went.

You mean if we perhaps executed those driving without insurance, that would satisfy the need for justice/vengence of the death of those two innocent women?

I don't like the path Canada is on...

Forgive me for having to point this out, but your sentence actually reads 'I don't like Canada and I won't like it until it does things the way I want it to'.

Get a grip. The world isn't going to conform to your sensibilities. Do what you can to make the world (or Canada) a better place.

Edited July 16, 2007 by Mad_Michael

[jbg]

Great overall piece, but I'm going to comment on a few snippets:

Beginning of a Rant.

Accountability and common sense seems lacking in society today. Well it appears that way to me.

Too much discussion is too abstract. It's hard to get people to focus on "real life" concerns.

There are two areas of concern for me personally and morally one is lack of parenting by parents today, our youth seem lost and unsupervised. Yet we as a society are blamed when the child is in conflict with the law, hello where'd that socialist dogma come from. If a child is having issues and becomes in conflict with the law blame the child and the parents, my fault as a member of society I don't think so. Ergo lack of accountability and common sense.

******

While talking with my husband last night he mentioned a patient that died, three young males under 17 were driving without seat belts and the driver being drunk at 1 in the afternoon crashed his car. He died the other two are critical. When I was at the age many moons ago it had been instilled into me (with force and vigor by moral and religious parents) that you NEVER drink and drive. Why are so many of our youth floundering and dying because of lack of parental supervision. For someone to be drunk shortly after noon tells me this young man wasn't getting any adult supervision. It's common sense to not drink and drive, why are so many of our youth lacking in this area?

While I cannot excuse it, many families have to have to working parents. That directly reduces the amount of parenting. Also, the amount of self-entertaining cuts down parental interaction with children. I invite my 11 and 10 year old out all the time for bike rides, to toss a ball, etc. They're not always interested. This, I fear, will have consequences.

The second issue, I'm building a new shed. Well Herr Mayor and her merry band of SS agents enforce a strick bylaw code that a shed must meet the same inspections as a new house. Having lived all over Canada I realise it's common to get a building permit but five inspections to build a baby barn. Hello, yes I can dig a hole for the footings but I'm not allowed to fill the hole until it's inspected. I can build the walls and trusses but I can't install them without an inspection. For the love of democracy get the hell out of my life. I cannot believe the level of interferance by government.

Those offenses are worse than murder.

[Guest American Woman]

While talking with my husband last night he mentioned a patient that died, three young males under 17 were driving without seat belts and the driver being drunk at 1 in the afternoon crashed his car. He died the other two are critical. When I was at the age many moons ago it had been instilled into me (with force and vigor by moral and religious parents) that you NEVER drink and drive. Why are so many of our youth floundering and dying because of lack of parental supervision. For someone to be drunk shortly after noon tells me this young man wasn't getting any adult supervision. It's common sense to not drink and drive, why are so many of our youth lacking in this area?

I've noticed the opposite happening regarding youth drinking and driving; when I was young, we didn't have designated drivers. Now, with groups like DARE, young people may still drink, but they generally don't get behind the wheel. You can't site one case and attribute the behavior to "all youth." Furthermore, I'd like to see the statistics you've based your claim that "so many of our youth" are "floundering and dying." Are they dying in greater numbers than they were a generation ago?

Edited August 11, 2007 by American Woman

[CLRV]

If children are in fact growing up without their parents, it is because the parents are out working at their low-paying, zero-benefit jobs trying to keep their houses. They are handing their babies to be raised by strangers in daycare when they aren't a year old so they can return to those jobs. Any attempt at remedying these painful realities directly (increased pay, more vacation, longer parental leave), or indirectly (investment in daycare, community programs for youth, paying teachers more for extra-curricular mentoring) is surely to be dismissed by the commonly sensible as "socialist dogma". Worship the "Free Market" as a godhead, then decry the inevitable consequences of its amoral, anti-family philosophies. Amusing irony that conservatives, who sold us this bill of goods called the "free market" in the first place, are always the first to complain.

Accountability begins at the top. When George W. Bush is pardoning and committing the sentences of cronies lawfully convicted of state crimes in a court of law, while the adults stand around and blink, does anyone expect the young to take some sort of lesson about personal responsibility and accountability from them? Again, where are the conservatives speaking out against this?

A recent study has shown that children are fooled into thinking things taste better when wrapped in a McDonalds wrapper. Essentially, proof that they have been brainwashed to the point of actually altering their perception of reality. What is this right-wing media outlet's moral interpretation? "I don't think you can necessarily hold this against McDonald's, he said, since the goal of marketing is to build familiarity and sell products"

There's your moral relativism, folks. We live in a consumer-based, business-driven society. If it makes money, it's good. If it costs money, it's bad. These are the principles our youth are cutting their teeth on. These are not socialist principles. They are the opposite of socialist principles.

[jbg]

If children are in fact growing up without their parents, it is because the parents are out working at their low-paying, zero-benefit jobs trying to keep their houses. They are handing their babies to be raised by strangers in daycare when they aren't a year old so they can return to those jobs. Any attempt at remedying these painful realities directly (increased pay, more vacation, longer parental leave), or indirectly (investment in daycare, community programs for youth, paying teachers more for extra-curricular mentoring) is surely to be dismissed by the commonly sensible as "socialist dogma". Worship the "Free Market" as a godhead, then decry the inevitable consequences of its amoral, anti-family philosophies. Amusing irony that conservatives, who sold us this bill of goods called the "free market" in the first place, are always the first to complain.

And who's to provide the money for these wonderful things?

[CLRV]

And who's to provide the money for these wonderful things?

The guys who have all the money, of course. The ones securing a larger and larger section of the pie for themselves with each passing year.

The ones controlling a larger and larger share of the media that keeps you "informed".

The ones currently using that wealth to taint our political system and ensure it keeps doing what THEY want it to do.

The ones who continue to accept tax cut after tax cut even in the face of an ongoing war effort.

Common Sense? Accountability?

Edited August 12, 2007 by CLRV

[Posit]

Common sense is the collection of prejudices acquired by age eighteen.

Albert Einstein

[jbg]

The guys who have all the money, of course. The ones securing a larger and larger section of the pie for themselves with each passing year.

Common Sense? Accountability?

How do you propose extracting that money in a free society?

[Guest American Woman]

How do you propose extracting that money in a free society?

By expecting taxpayers to exhibit "accountability and common sense."

Edited August 12, 2007 by American Woman