Daily Dumb Headlines
I’m starting a new feature on this blog. I find it hard to come up with entries for “Daily Wise Man” because, quite frankly, there aren’t enough wise men to fill up every day of the year. However, I can find dozens of Dumb Headlines every day if I look for them. Here are a few right now…
“Florida seeks to fine Verizon for bad service”
NEW YORK (Reuters) – Florida’s attorney general said on Thursday the state was seeking to fine Verizon Communications Inc (VZ.N: Quote, Profile, Research) for violating service standards, but the No. 2 U.S. telephone company said its service was fine…
“That’s nonsense, we don’t willfully violate anything,” said Verizon spokesman Eric Rabe. “I think there’s no competitor that offers better services that we do.”
Why is it any of the State’s business that Verizon offers poor service? Should the State fine McDonald’s if they forget to give you your fries? It’s not up to the State to punish a private company for bad customer service. If Verizon’s service is bad, people won’t buy it. They will start to use Cingular or Sprint, or Nextel, or whatever other companies are out there. Let the market decide. Problem solved.
Let’s examine another stupid headline….
“Obesity contributes to global warming: study”
Do I even need to go into the article? No, not really. I can already tell that this article is going to be a waste of time. We’ll take a look anyway.
Obese and overweight people require more fuel to transport them and the food they eat, and the problem will worsen as the population literally swells in size, a team at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine says…
“We are all becoming heavier and it is a global responsibility,” Edwards said in a telephone interview. “Obesity is a key part of the big picture.”
What is a global responsibility? How did I come to be responsible for anyone around the world. I’m not saying I’m obese or anything but the wording of this article is very threatening to me, as if I have a responsibility to other people not to become obese. Can’t you see the logical end of this line of thinking? If it’s a social responsibility to stay in shape, then doesn’t it follow that people who irresponsibly become fat should be punished? I’m not saying they’ll give jail time to fat people but do you think something as asinine as a fat-tax is beyond the scum-bags in government? They’ve already outlawed trans-fats in some cities. This collectivist thinking is the root of all social evils.
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