by J.D. Kay

Created on: July 21, 2010   Last Updated: July 22, 2010

I don’t know everything, but I do know what common sense is.  I don’t always use it, but I know what it is.  Unfortunately, I feel that I am in the minority when it comes to actually knowing what common sense is.  I think there is a lack of understanding when it comes to what constitutes common sense.  For instance, when a company begins to lose money because it made some very poor choices in the past, it shouldn’t have the ability to have the government of the United States give them money to shore up its assets.  However, with the logic that if these companies fail our economy will fall into a deep recession, the Government did bail these companies out. Okay fine, I would think common sense would tell these businesses that it would be in their best interest to help the people that gave the money to them.   

Alright now that the scenario is out there, here is how the companies have repaid the money.  First and foremost, since the companies poor decisions gave it’s customers little to no ability to repay the money they were lent, the companies are going ahead and not giving those customers any help with lowering rates or creating more sensible repayment terms.  Also, those companies are laying off large numbers in their work force and creating a very high unemployment rate which has caused a very deep and long lasting recession.  I guess that didn’t work to stop the recession.

On the other hand, if common sense would have been used, those very funds that were sent to the companies could have been given to the people in a form of payment of debt.  This would have given those companies the funds they need to survive and the people giving the money an instant return without causing a recession.   I guess that wouldn’t work, since the people that are being helped the most are the ones footing the bill.

Another example of a lack of common sense would be when there is a very important subject that comes up in our government and the two sides cannot agree on even when it should be up for debate.  One side has a majority and just wants to prove that they have more power than the other side, and the other side just wants to say no because it's not their idea, all the while the people that are actually affected have said several times that a compromise needs to be made for them to be happy.  Is this common sense?  Personally, I would think that it would be in the best interest of those who have been put in the position to make those decisions for those affected to listen to what is being said and find a compromise, but that is just me.  Like I said, I don't know everything, but I know common sense, this is not common sense.

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