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Today we mourn the passing of an old friend by the name of Common Sense.
Common Sense lived a long life, but died from heart failure after the start of the new millennium. No one really knows how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He selflessly devoted his life to service in schools, hospitals, homes, factories and offices, helping people get jobs done without fanfare and foolishness.
For decades, petty rules and silly laws held no power over Common Sense. He was credited with cultivating such valued lessons as to know when to come out of the rain, the early bird gets the worm, and life isn't always fair. Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn), reliable parenting strategies (the adults are in charge, not the children), and it's okay to come in second.
A veteran of the Industrial Revolution, the Great Depression, and the Technological Revolution, Common Sense survived cultural and educational trends including feminism, body piercing, foul language and political correctness.
But his health declined when he became infected with the "If-it-only-helps-one-person-it's-worth-it" virus. In recent decades his waning strength proved no match for the ravages of overbearing government regulations.
He watched in pain as good people became crippled with pathetic rules and regulations. His health rapidly deteriorated when schools endlessly implemented zero tolerance policies, reports of six year old boys suspended from school for alleged sexual harassment for kissing a classmate and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student. It declined even further when schools had to get parental consent to administer aspirin to a student, but cannot inform the parent when the female student is pregnant or wants an abortion.
Finally, Common Sense lost his will to live as criminals received better treatment than victims, a person lost the right to protect their home and there were more managers than nurses on the country’s hospital wards.
As the end neared, Common Sense drifted in and out of logic, but was kept informed of further crippling developments.
Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents Truth and Trust, his wife Disruption, his daughter Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by two younger brothers, Rights and Tolerance.
With his untimely death, we hope you will look after and protect them. Without Common Sense, it doesn't seem that Rights or Tolerance stand much of a chance on their own.
Not many attended his funeral because so few seemed to realised he was gone.
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