More Bits and Pieces

There are a lot of news stories bouncing around that just beg some reaction from me. I can’t help it. Really!  I tried. But no; I am uttering some words now on these beauties.

First is the lawsuit by a Raleigh, North Carolina police lieutenant who bought a cup of coffee from a Starbucks outlet, returned to his police car, and proceeded to spill the coffee in his lap. In truth, the cup was defective (it collapsed too easily), but rather than seek help immediately, he returned to his police station, transferred to his own truck, drove home, remained there for some time, and finally, two and a half hours later, sought medical care.

This event so unnerved the officer, his Crohn’s disease kicked up, and he was treated for several months including surgery to remove a portion of his intestine. He was out of work for a prolonged time but less than a year. His wife joined the lawsuit claiming loss of consortium during his prolonged and difficult recovery. They sued for $750,000.

The jury decided in favor of Starbucks. Defense attorneys were successful in demonstrating that the plaintiff was already battling diseases that were debilitating and that he was unable to prove fault on the part of Starbucks.

Comment:  Thank God the jury got it right! Drinking coffee is hazardous because the liquid is hot and expected to be so. Portable paper cups are unstable by nature and an added hazard the consumer knowingly engages in order to enjoy a portable cup of coffee. Taking inordinate time to seek medical care begs the question just how serious was the customer’s injury? There are risks we all take responsibility for just stepping out the front door to go to work. This is one of those daily risks.

Second, if public authorities deliver shocking news to a citizen, they cannot sue those authorities when the details turn out to be incorrect. Such was the case when police reported the death of a loved one to a family only to learn later that they had mistaken the identity of the family. They had notified the wrong family, who in turn, sued the police authorities for the pain and anguish of the shocking news. The court, however, had a different take on the matter and chose in favor of the authorities. They said such unintentional errors are not made with the intent to harm and thus damages do not apply.

Comment: Try as they might to get the facts straight, police personnel have an often chaotic set of circumstances to deal with in determining what happened, who were the responsible parties, who receives medical attention, who gets the coroner’s services, and who are the next of kin to be notified. Think about that. The confusion, adrenaline and emotional upset of first responders. The family is not present in this situation; others are on their behalf. The family cannot possibly appreciate the pressure to perform most police accept as their daily burden. Perfection is not easily accomplished in such straits.

  

Third, who is the Middle Class? Does anyone truly know? What data sets are uniformly applied to define the middle class? And are the denizens even willing to admit they are middle class? The answer is not clear. Most of us identify as middle class but age, household income, education, employment and housing quality are not necessarily solid delineators of middle class status. Most of us aspire to higher incomes, more disposable wealth, secure financial investments to be used in retirement and economic downturns, and fancier cars and homes. But we don’t all actually acquire these things. Even if we do not, all of these are a sign of wealth but a harbinger of enormous debt! And thus more worry and fretting.

The middle class standard of living would be made up of many aspects, many not measurable. Until the discussion includes adequate details I think we need to monitor our conversation on this topic. Do the research. Ask for expert inputs. Determine the norms. Then discuss. Now get to work!

Fourth, Russia and its role in unsettling global power. I've hazarded opinions on this in the past. In this instance, however, Russia marked the 70^th anniversary of the end of the Second World War with a massive parade of military personnel and equipment. And speeches, oratory, really, ballyhooing Russia’s involvement in the war. Missing were most of the allies who did the heavy lifting during the war. Also missing was Russia’s honesty in representing the chronology of their engagement in the war. They were begged to step in much earlier but did not. England and France played an early role. Later, so did the United States who went on to the bitter end making commitments to defeat Hitler and rebuild war torn nations in Europe. At the same time they waged a successful war against Japan. Two theaters of war across two oceans separated by a vast continent. Where was Russia in those terrible times?

Well, at least they can hold parades and flaunt war materiel as though they are ready to continue their heroic command of the global community. They toy with peace like a child. Empty nonsense history already knows about.

That’s enough for this go around. There’s more of course, but that is for another time. Until then, read the news with care and ask questions! Then begin to understand the facts.

May 13, 2015