Deep pockets

Well gee, I guess Wal-Mart has gotten a little too big for its own good and has become a ripe target for frivilous lawsuits. I read about this one a few days ago, and wasn't sure if I should laugh, or be thoroughly disgusted with our society. What ever happened to personal responsibility? Or parental responsibility? It is not Wal-Mart's responsibility, duty or obligation to screen each and every song on each and every CD for "objectionable" material. Wal-Mart's policy is to not sell albums which have a parental advisory on them. If such a label isn't put on, it's not their fault. They aren't the ones who put the labels there, or remove them, or determine the criteria for them. If you're so concerned about the music your kids listen to, take it upon yourself to screen the album--you know, like a good parent is supposed to do. But, our society (specifically, our legal system) seems to expect everyone else to be perfect, not make mistakes, and do our work for us. When something doesn't go our way, it must be someone else's fault.

Then, today, I happen accross this. Once again, why is it Wal-Mart's responsibility to ascertain every detail of a person's history before selling them something? Don't get me wrong, I fully support background checks for firearm purchases. But to say that Wal-Mart "should have known" about this girl's psychological problems is rediculous. If anything, Ms. Bracy herself (the girl's mom) should have known about her daughter's problems and taken a more active role in protecting/supporting her. A retailer is not allowed (and rightfully so) to delve into a customer's personal medical records, so they had no way of knowing about Ms. Stewart's psychological problems if she chose to lie on the application. But again, it gets down to the "when something bad happens, it must be someone else's fault" mentality . . . and of course, it must be the fault of someone with deep pockets, so we can sue the bejeezes out of 'em.

Personally, I wish more of these types of cases would get thrown out of court and the plaintiffs forced to pay legal fees due to the absolute absurdity of the suit. And/or start debarring or punishing the lawyers that repeatedly represent moronic cases. Maybe then we'd see a reduction in this kind of garbage.

Note: I'm not even a big fan of Wal-Mart, and only shop there when absolutely necessary. Their employment record and detrimental effect on smaller local businesses doesn't sit well with me. But that shouldn't make them targets for b.s. lawsuits and idiotic complaints.