Warning!!! Warning!!!

Do you ever notice warning labels? I mean, I guess that's the whole point, that we notice them. But I notice them in a different way. I look at them and wonder what made it necessary to put a label on that product warning against that particular thing. Case in point...

Why was it necessary to put in bold print on the application instructions for Roundup, a product that will kill any living vegetation, "DO NOT TAKE INTERNALLY"? Was someone walking through the garage, saw a jug of Roundup and thought, "you know, I'm thirsty. I've never tasted Roundup but it sure smells good. Wonder what it tastes like?" So how was it, Bubba? Did you enjoy the stomach pump?

Or how about those little moisture-absorbent packets that usually come in electronics packaging? They have written on them in very large, bold letters "DO NOT EAT". So what brain surgeon decided that it might be interesting just to find out what that stuff tasted like? "Look, Honey! We've got a new DVD player and some free Tic-Tacs!"

I used to sell labels to a company here in Nashville that made water heaters for swimming pools, hot tubs, and the like. As best I can recall there were 162 labels on each unit. Now don't get me wrong, it was great for my business - but does it make sense to have to put a label on a heater to tell you the surface may be hot to the touch? I think we're back to that common sense issue again.

So why do we spend billions of dollars telling people what they should already know? It's to protect the company from the ambulance-chasing lawyers. You know, the ones that advertise on TV asking you if you've been injured on the job, ever breathed asbestos, or got sick smoking Pall Mall's. They're absolutely begging you to sue someone ("...and remember, I don't collect a dime until you get your money".) That's a big part of what's wrong with the price of healthcare in this country. The cost of malpractice insurance is insane. And the cost is insane because we have people who are looking for any reason to sue the doctor.

It's this kind of stuff that makes my blood boil. Most of us spend most of our lives trying to do the right thing, use some common sense, and leave everyone else alone. In addition to that we have to underwrite all the idiots who are just looking for a free ride through an unwarranted lawsuit. I'll tell you it's enough to make me want to ..........where's my Roundup, anyway?

Till next time......