Safety and Legal Issues

--- In spacesettlers@y..., Ryan Healey wrote:
> Consumer protection laws have done a great amount of good, no need
to get rid
> of them although like everything they could be improved.
>

Okay, good, we agree on this point. I guess my main objection is to
the hyper-litigiousness (i do believe i just made up a new word) of
western society, particularly in the USA. Simply put, if I am
selling a product, I should take all _reasonable_ precautions to
ensure that said product is safe under all but extraordinary
conditions... but no more precautions beyond the reasonable should
be required.

Case in point: notice how every coffee cup at McDonald's has the
words "caution:hot" printed on the side? This is due to a single
lawsuit, where a woman claimed she was burned by the coffee. Well,
duh, it's _coffee_, it's supposed to be hot. This one lawsuit cost
Mickey D's literally millions, both to settle the suit and to
reprint all their coffee cups. Why? To protect people without an
ounce of common sense. Had I been the judge in the case (and it's
probably a good thing I was not), not only would I have not awarded
in favour of the plaintiff, I would likely have made her pay McD's
legal costs and furthermore charged her with contempt of court.

Now, if somebody wishes to put their life in danger, whether by
attempting Everest, smoking cigarettes, or strapping a rocket engine
to their ass, I say fine, go hard... but don't expect financial
compensation to be paid to your family when the shit hits the fan
(UNLESS your death can be directly attributable to gross criminal
negligence on the part of the defendant). Don't expect to be paid
to make up for a lack of common sense. (Aside: why is it
called "common" sense, anyhow, if it is apparently so uncommon?)

:) ed