US Government to Recall all Dimes

[davekelly]

Well said.

I'm sure you'd love this bumper sticker I saw the other day. "Partnership for an Idiot-free America."

[bcawthon]

QUOTE: edited from Eriediamond's original post

I don't blame lawyers for todays situation as much as I do the public. In my opinion most people don't want the resposibilty in raising kids or take resposibility for there own actions. In my childhood days, it was my parents job to raise me and teach me right from wrong. Sometimes it took a little pain on the lower back side and it worked just fine. We also didn't have all the laws and such we have now, the governments job was running the country's business, not running the public's lives.

I mostly agree with your position, but sometimes there is a very fine line between protecting those who need it and "running people's lives."

While we all wax poetic about our lost youths filled with running around with scissors and other risky stuff, allow me to note one little fact: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Bureau of Vital Statistics, childhood deaths from unintentional injuries have declined substantially in the last fifty years. I think a lot of us forget just how many of our peers didn't make it to adulthood. I had a friend in school who was quite the chemist until he blew his arm and half his face off.

So perhaps some of the laws and even some of the lawsuits have helped make the world a bit safer, especially for the youngest children. After all, if parents won't protect their children, someone has to. And that someone is the government, acting to promote the general welfare, just as the founding fathers intended.

That's why I think GM's heart may have been in the right place, although their head obviously wasn't. So I would urge GM to modify their position to require that licensed replicas smaller than 2.5 inches be distributed only through hobby channels.

GM does not face any real liability in any case, but it would be nice to insulate the modelmakers and perhaps protect some children from idiots who are adult only by virtue of their age.

Don't forget: It's easier to recall dimes than dolts.

[grandeman]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Jetrock

The fact that the "dime recall" urban legend is believable at all is because it contains a speck of truth--the growing "cult of child safety" seems obsessed with putting rubber bumpers on the entire planet in order to avoid any chance that a child might be injured in body or mind. Funny how when those kids turn 18 I imagine we'll still expect them to join the Army and suddenly be exposed to all sorts of risks more dangerous than dimes...

Interesting and well stated.

[davekelly]

Jetrock,

Interesting thought. Is this obsession a possible cause of younger folks today not knowing that playing in train yards is dangerous?

[Jetrock]

The fact that the "dime recall" urban legend is believable at all is because it contains a speck of truth--the growing "cult of child safety" seems obsessed with putting rubber bumpers on the entire planet in order to avoid any chance that a child might be injured in body or mind. Funny how when those kids turn 18 I imagine we'll still expect them to join the Army and suddenly be exposed to all sorts of risks more dangerous than dimes...

[davekelly]

Eriediamond,

How true.

[Eriediamond]

Seems like we went from a dime recall to comparing now to the past. How ever law suits are really nothing new. I have a few things that belonged to my Dad that passed back in the 70's. Among those things is an old car key holder made like a wallet. In that holder is a reciept from an insurance company and that piece of paper has explicit instructions to NOT let anyone know you have insurance except the police officer investigating the accident. Isn't that strange?? I don't blame lawyers for todays situation as much as I do the public. In my opinion most people don't want the resposibilty in raising kids or take resposibility for there own actions. In my childhood days, it was my parents job to raise me and teach me right from wrong. Sometimes it took a little pain on the lower back side and it worked just fine. We also didn't have all the laws and such we have now, the governments job was running the country's business, not running the public's lives. I realise the dime thing was meant as a joke, but how close are we to it not being a joke? The GM thing of not being able to produce HO scale cars should be the parents responsibilty to keep them out of their kids mouth, not GM's. I need to get off this soapbox before I really get wound up. Thanks Ken Sorry about the rambling

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by terminal

[:D] Hey G Bailey, did you make your rocket fuel , using charcoal brikets, sugar, and salt peter like My brother & I did? It put our rockets out of site!!!! Terminal.

Yep !!! [:)]

Although just sugar and potassium nitrate will work great if done right, too !!!! [:D]

In those days (age 10), I could also go down to the local 7-11 and get cherry bombs and M-80s year round ! [8D]

Now days, you have to break the law in many places to celebrate on even the 4th [V]

As a boy I had my own .22 and 4-10 (but could only use them with my father until I got to be older).

And, of course, a pump BB gun (which I could and did use all the time).
Must have gone thru a million BBs !!!

[Leon Silverman]

The solution is to package all of these little items into child proof prescription bottles with opening instructions folded up inside the bottle. Then Model Railroader could run an article on how to open the bottles.

[dave9999]

Ahhh... Lawn darts. There was a brilliant idea.[:D] Let's throw giant sharp pointed darts
high into the air and see where they stick. HEY! Look out for the dog!

OTOH, they sure were fun! Dave

[selector]

I have been away and have not the time to read all of the posts, so please bear with me if I repeat: anyone remember the lawn darts scare? How about radiation from your computer monitor and any other cathode-ray tubes?

Anyone sued Kraft when they lost a filling eating Karamels?

I'm thinking of suing my dentist for all of the discomfort I had when I last visited.

Sheesh!!

[rexhea]

DAVE
What?? Not Texas Pete Hot Sauce??

Yes, where have gone:
The toys from Japan made from U.S. beer cans with sharp edges.
The cap pistols for playing Army or Cowboys and Indians
The used and rusty nails good for making tree houses on precarious tree limbs.
The old bicycles that have long lost their chain guard.
The cuts and bruises that after a slight wimper, became merit badges of courage.
The bumps on the noggen from a taped up baseball hit with a broken bat.
The dirty face and hands of a kid that comes home from play with a smile of accomplishment.


It is hard for me to believe that a huge corporation would be so petty as to worry about child safety of a model car made for modelers and not as a toy for children. GEEZ! I think they need to worry about bigger kids driving +300 hp cars. There must be a hidden reason behind all this. (I hope [sigh] )

It must be they same bunch that ban smoking in football stadiums, but don't mind breathing the fumes at a race track or behind a city bus.

Oh Dave, I sure am hungry for some Gator meat. Ha!
REX

[dave9999]

Rex,
A lot of things that are major issues today were just a part of life years ago. I remember
getting my butt beat in the grocery store... in front of everyone! Try that with a kid today and
you will be in jail before you get your point across.[:-^] I know my dad got his point
across when he needed to. Now days, you have kids sueing their parents[%-)].

And no I don't take Alka-Selser... although, I eat a lot of Tums. But that may have something
to do with the fact that I go through close to a bottle of Lousiana Hot Sauce a week... man, I
love that stuff. Dave

BTW, Are you ready for Urban Renewal?? See ya in T-Town.

[rexhea]

Dave, if that happened now, your Mother would be sent to prison for child neglect.
BTW: Do you have to take a lot of Alka-Seltzer now?? [(-D][(-D]

ROLL TIDE!

REX

[dave9999]

Oh yeah DMNolan, Spacemouse's original post was simply a joke... nothing more. Dave

[dave9999]

Does anyone remember the little yellow pocket knives that you used to
could get out of the gumball machines? Well... when I was very young,
not only did I get one, but I swallowed it! My mom still has the X-Ray photo
showing the knife in my belly. Thankfully it passed though without problems.
And yes, it was closed.[xx(]

It's funny that this topic came up... me and my mom were talking about the
"little yellow pocket knife incident" just the other day. Dave

[Anonymous]

DMNolan - I believe the post was a joke, based upon the news that an auto mfr will no longer license replica cars smaller than 1/64 - due to danger of choking.

Rob

[DMNolan]

QUOTE: Originally posted by SpaceMouse

State potential for lawsuit if swallowed. In a similar move, US Steel is stopping production of all screws and bolts smaller than 1/2" in diameter.

"It's just not worth the risk," says a spokesman for the Treasury Department.

Penny and nickels will not be affected.

I see we have2 pages of discussion on this "news." I am willing to admit I may have missed these news stories and press releases. Can you post a link to this "news". Maybe it is on the Treasury Department and US Steel web sites.

Or maybe this is just another internet rumor. Since the US Government has immunity for many claims against it, I doubt the treasury deprtment is worried about the potential for a lawsuit over swallowed dimes. How many deaths a year occur becuase of swallowed dimes? Not that many, when you consider how many dimes are in circulation and how many people use them.

[Anonymous]

[:D] Hey G Bailey, did you make your rocket fuel , using charcoal brikets, sugar, and salt peter like My brother & I did? It put our rockets out of site!!!! Terminal.

[davekelly]

grande,

Thank you for the compliment, but believe me the vast majority of the attorneys I've met are decent people who actually want to do the right thing. We have a great system. Unfortunately reporting when the system works makes for very boring press. It's kind of like I've never seen on the news a story about a train that makes its trip without an accident.

[grandeman]

Dave, thanks for the explanation. It helps shed some light on things. We have, no doubt it, the best system going. I just wi***here was less greed by all out there. It's nice to know there's guy like you out there doing it right.

[davekelly]

grandeman,

Thank you - but it really isn't as bad as I think you think it is. The vast majority of "outrageous" lawsuits you hear about are as true as the email that says if you forward the thing to 10 people Bill Gates will give you $10,000. Case in point - the story about the woman that sued and got a couple hundred grand from tripping over her own child is fabricated - an urban legend that unfortunately many folks think is real - it has even been used by politicians (but then again two politicians running for senate a few years ago had a debate about the proposed email tax - you know the one that is described in the email that was introduced by a senator that doesn't exist). Of course very few people want to research the true facts - it's more fun not to.

Case in point. A person saw a structure kit on ebay advertised as 20 percent below MSRP. He checked the Walthers catalog and discovered that the advertised price was higher than the price in the catalog. Many folks jumped in and started talking about dishonest ebayers etc. A quick check of the Walthers website showed that the Walthers price had risen and that the seller indeed was asking 20 percent below that price. 30 seconds to check it out and no one bothered. How can we expect anyone to research all those stories about those "outrageous" court actions? (Most folks don't know the whole story of the McDonalds case - once all the facts are laid out it becomes more difficult to make a decision one way or another).

I agree there are greedy lawyers and clients out there - but why is it that so many people are willing to believe that it is only the plaintiffs' lawyers that are able to mislead the jury? Doesn't anyone believe that the corporations hire attorneys too? That the corporation's lawyers are just as greedy (ie: they want to keep their jobs) and of course have more resources to use than the plaintiff's attorney? If everyone knows about he dirty underhanded tricks of lawyers how come juries seem to be the only clueless ones out there? And the bar does disipline its own members. Every issue of the Texas Bar Journal has two pages of disiplinary action against its members ranging from fines to suspensions to disbarments. It grates me that the media only likes publishing the bad stuff and ignores things like the multi million dollar fine Walmart got from withholding information in which they concluded that one of its parking lots was dangerous and they didn't do anything about it (such as lighting) which contributed to a woman being assaulted. Walmart attempted to say something along the lines of "we didn't do a study - which was what was asked for in discovery - we did a survey." The judge saw right through that. Nothing is published about the millions of dollars of time members of the Texas Bar have donated to help the disadvantaged. Nothing really is talked about the positive change brought about by lawsuits - desegragation of schools. Conviction of criminals. Protecting battered women etc etc.

As a hobby I sometimes do some research into those "outrageous" law suits we often hear about. The vast majority of times I have I have discovered things that aren't reported. These things make the award somewhat understandable - but of course don't make good press. The person that is injured and only wants the defendant to pay for his/her medical costs which were very arguably caused by the defendant and then when the defendant refuses - many very bad actions of the defendant are brought out. Other times I find the story is totally fabricated. It's pretty much like when you see a movie that is described as "based on a true story." The character might have actually existed but everything else is pretty much made up. Yet people think the whole thing is real (Oliver Stone is great at this).

Oh well. It's a upward battle I seem to fight every day.

[TBat55]

urban legend

don't believe everything you read and only half of what you see

[chateauricher]

W A R N I N G ! ! !

LIVING MAY BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH
LIFE IS TERMINAL
THERE IS NO VACINE, TREATMENTS OR CURE

As kids, I can remember...

jumping of the peak of the roof of my parents' bungalow into the snow bank and getting stuck waist deep in the snow.

skating on an outdoor ice rink until losing all feeling in the feet.

chasing my brother with my mother's butcher's knife (he could be a real pain in the [censored] at times).

bike helmets ? What are those ? How does a bike wear a helmet ?

road trips with my parents in a smoke-filled car, no airconditioning, no DVD player, no Gamboys. Just each other's heads to hit with the toys and books that were supposed to keep us quiet.

[sigh] Ahh ... The good old days...

[grandeman]

QUOTE: Originally posted by davekelly

grandeman,

You're very welcome. Of course I think I may need to change the jurisdiction I practice in. Where I am it is the juries that decide the amount of an award to a plaintiff. I need to go practice in a state where I can decide how much my client gets. Where would that be?

Dave, I'm sure you're one of the good guys that tries to always do the right thing. I wish everyone else in your profession did. I wish greedy plaintiffs didn't see a frivolous lawsuit as a way to get rich quick at someone else'e expense. Corporations sometime make decisions based on what their lawyers tell them. Their lawyers are up on the underhanded tactics their peers may try to use against their employers. It's a never ending cicrle. Lawyers are a big part of it and so are greedy plantiffs. You guys are the ones that argue to convince the juries... As I said before, I'm sure you're one of the good guys. My intent isn't to offend a good guy. I do believe my statements concerning this are true.

[Wdlgln005]

QUOTE: Originally posted by KenLarsen

I'm surprised they haven't stopped production of gasoline. At age 10, I thought it would be really cool to simulate a nuclear explosion over some 'junk' Revell battleships in my backyard sandbox. What an interesting learning experience that was! My friends and I were able to run far enough away without getting hurt, but I was grounded for a month...

Gasoline? I used the can of 3/1 oil we had in the garage. That and some firecrackers placed in the Bismark hull. See how tough styrene and tube glue can be. And we didn't use any eye protection for flying objects. Use the ship to hold metal sparklers.

The best part was to put a cracker & some oil down the stack of the kit. Make it look like Victory at Sea or the other movies out on the big b&w screen at the time. For a really big bang, try the new M-80. My cousins on the farm could get them as rodent chasers.

[Anonymous]

I can remember getting the recipe for gun powder from Star Trek. Then there were those great series of Boy's Book of ......topics covering everything except uranium enrichment. As Virginian, most of the cars in the school lot had rifles or shotguns for hunting before and after school and you carried a pocket knife. You were considered strange if you didn't have one.

[JohnT14808]

Sheesh...When I was 12, I spent two days in the hospital recovering from a cracked skull ( only a minor one..) that I gave my self jumping my bike off the corner curb and yanking up on the handle bars to do a wheelie. 'Course, the front wheel came off and the forks planted into the asphalt and over the handlebars I went......no helmet, of course.....
I remember running ALL OVER the neighborhood playing 'COMBAT', one of the current TV shows back then, or Elliot Ness, G-Man......kids today just have no imagination and no "get up and go". Too many regulations to go outside and play.

Ok...I'm done ranting.

[joseph2]

One of the hardest things about being a parent is trying to find toys that actually interest a child,everything seems to be too safe.In high school chemistry back in 1969 our teacher made us distill alcohol,one of our books even told how to make napalm.Kids in shop class learned to make cross-bow pistols.I can't think of any classmates who were ever actually hurt.