Liberty MavenRon Paul Rejects The “Woe Is Me” Nation
April 2nd, 2008 12:07 pm | by Marc Gallagher | Published in Activism, Free Market, Individual Responsibility, Liberty, Maven Commentary, Philosophy, Politics, Ron Paul | 8 Responses
Disclaimer: What follows is a bit of a rant inspired by the recent power grab by the federal government over the financial sector and the socialist inspired policies of the current Presidential candidates.
As a young boy I had a deep belief that I was special in some way, that I was destined for great things. As I now approach middle age I wonder if every young person has similar thoughts. It certainly could explain the blameless “woe is me” attitude of young Americans today. Believing you are inherently special suggests that you need not put forth much, if any, effort to achieve success. It suggests that you are owed success. That in order to achieve happiness requires little more than breathing. Ultimately, it suggests that bad things happen to you rather than because of you.
Deconstructing the Ron Paul phenomenon reveals the essence of individual liberty and with that liberty comes responsibility. Your freedoms are equal. You have the freedom to succeed or fail. You have the freedom to harm or help yourself. You have the freedom to worship or denounce. The common theme is that everything is up to you because you are the sole arbiter of your own reactions to events. Unfortunately, today the push is towards the opposing philosophy of eternal victim-hood. We are becoming a “woe is me” nation.
We live in a time where blame is always found in other entities rather than within one’s self, where complacency is more prevalent than curiosity, and where apathy expands and action contracts. There are examples in the news every single day: Suing McDonalds because you are fat or you burned yourself spilling coffee on your lap; Holding your nose and voting for one of the media anointed candidates for public office instead of the candidate who shares your views; Not taking the time to know which candidate shares your views; Getting caught up in the routine instead of seeking the extraordinary.
This is becoming what we are as a country. The Ron Paul movement is fighting this mindset. The idea is fundamental human liberty. You are responsible for your actions and your reactions. You make mistakes and you learn from them. Relying on the government to coddle you fulfills the once delusional promise that you are special for special’s sake. Fight that feeling. Don’t let the government tuck you in at night.
You are only destined for great things if you work to attain them. If you fail you try again. These are the principles our founding father’s practiced and preached. Why are we letting them wither away?
John Lennon was being too general. Socialism is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans. Fascism is what happens to you while you’re busy making other plans.
Freedom and liberty are what happens to you while you are putting your plans into action.
Take a lesson from Ron Paul and reject “woe is me” and embrace “I am doing”. Today is a good day to start.
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April 2nd, 2008 at 8:07 pm (#)
As usual, Marc, I’m right there on the same page with you. However, the whole McDonald’s coffee incident and ensuing drama has come to represent the exact opposite of what the reality of the situation truly represented.
First, let’s talk about the true background behind McDonald’s practices before the known incident occurred. McDonald’s had been told by safety experts on multiple occasions that their practice was unsafe. They keep their coffee 40 degrees hotter than the norm. However, despite the unanimous findings of these audits, McDonald’s adamantly refused to change their policy. Additionally, McDonald’s had received over 700 complaints (many involving burns) about this practice. McDonald’s would not back down from their practice.
Lo and behold, two customers drive up. They get their order. Then, they park outside their destination. The passenger (not the driver, as is commonly believed) spilled the contents of the cup as a result of the lid not being properly secured. She sustained 3rd degree burns in her vagina. She had not only an emergency room visit, but underwent cosmetic surgery to repair the damage.
She did not immediately turn around and sue McDonald’s. She contacted them on multiple occasions, throughout her rehabilitation, asking only for repayment of her medical costs. Not for damages. Not for pain and suffering. Medical costs. And, when she did, in fact, file a lawsuit, they again went after only medical costs.
Can you guess what McDonald’s did? They blew her off. By the time it got to court, the situation had escalated. A jury trial ensued. When faced with the facts, they were appalled at McDonald’s behavior, both leading up to the incident, as well as with their complete lack of cooperation afterwards. The jury awarded the victim with one day’s worth of McDonald’s coffee sales. That amounted to either $1.2 Million, or $2.1 Million. I always forget.
However, there was an appeal, and the Appellate Judge reduced the award to around $600K+. Yet, even after that, McDonald’s and the victim settled out of court for an amount which was disclosed as less than the reduced award. For all we know, she only got her medical bills and attorney fees covered.
So, yes, we have a ton of frivolous lawsuits and irresponsible people in this country. Your message could not be more true. However, it is extremely unfortunate that the legal incident which has come to epitomize this mentality in our culture actually represents a true case of justice against a cold, uncaring, abusive corporate entity which conducts itself with irresponsible, reckless arrogance. Let’s face it. If most large corporations were people, they would be labeled as sociopaths, psychopaths, and serial killers.
April 2nd, 2008 at 8:35 pm (#)
George,
Very interesting details. Thanks for posting that.
You are absolutely correct that it is sad that such a case would come to represent one of the frivolous lawsuits that have become all too common in our society. I fell into the trap of believing the hype without researching the details.
Again, thanks for the correction.
Enjoy.
April 3rd, 2008 at 12:53 pm (#)
wow… I didn’t know that about that McDonald’s lawsuit either.
April 7th, 2008 at 8:44 pm (#)
[...] Ron Paul Rejects The “Woe Is Me” Nation LIberty Maven – Reston,VA,USA Deconstructing the Ron Paul phenomenon reveals the essence of individual liberty and with that liberty comes responsibility. Your freedoms are equal. … See all stories on this topic [...]
June 26th, 2008 at 9:57 am (#)
To have taken the coffee out of the bag and not think about whether or not the cover is on is simply another example of what Ron Paul is taking about, your leaving it UP TO THE OTHER PERSON to make sure all is right. The moment you let down your awareness you will become the effect of whatever. I work in the computer field and when someone tells me what’s wrong with their system I never take at face value that’s actually what’s wrong, I always SEE FOR MYSELF while keeping in mind what the systems owner said.
Sorry The MacDonalds lawsuit was wrong fundamentally.
August 20th, 2008 at 11:04 pm (#)
In my opinion, the McDonalds’ lawsuit (with the underlying context) proves that the tort system actually works, and is a critical component of a free market.
Many liberty-minded folks agree that having attorneys willing to take on the risk of advocating for their clients for no up front compensation and a share of the damages is preferable to “regulated” solutions.
How hard would corporations work to buy off the “regulators” if damages were not awarded by juries, but by government bureaucrats?
There is a dangerous movement afoot where Big Pharma is trying to get courts to believe that FDA approval of their drugs “preempts” and exonerates them from any claims for product liability:
http://www.drug-injury.com/druginjurycom/2008/07/preemption-drug-injury-lawsuit-wyeth-v-levine–why-doctors-should-worry-about-preemption–gregory-d-curfman-md-stephe.html
Just exert influence over the FDA, get your drug approved as “safe”, and you have nothing to fear. And your patients have no recourse if subsequently you are found to have operated in bad faith.
Sound good? Not so much…
October 20th, 2008 at 9:48 pm (#)
We need more action, I went to the DC rally as a delegate for Paul (pictures at my website- http://www.slaughterhaus.com) and the people there have real ideas, real plans to set in motion. The revolution is not just a catchphrase, the revolution is here and these people are going to make it happen. We finally have a leader who can inspire us to get off our asses and change the world.
October 21st, 2008 at 12:05 pm (#)
[...] Is anyone listening or are his words echoing around in the cavernous minds of the “oh woe is me, it’s the government’s responsibility” [...]