The Brits are reporting that CVS has taken it upon itself to make all its customers provide identity every time they buy a bottle of nail polish remover, and in addition to track customers’ nail polish purchases. This would suggest a) the Brits have as much of a meth problem as we do; and b) I’m dead right in saying Big Brother is not the government; it’s the corporate shadow government.
Elsewhere, once again we’re told that because a few morons can’t figure out that jumping on a trampoline is a fair way to maim yourself, all trampolines must be banned or at least regulated.
Honest to gawd! Obviously, it’s brain-dead stupid to bounce around on one of these things given that we’ve known for years that crippling injuries are common. Should they be banned? Maybe. But a business promoting use of the things is probably akin to a shop selling meth at the local strip mall. How hard is it to simply TELL people that? Then let the user take responsibility for the consequences.
You could say that the only person injured is the guy in the wheelchair, but that’s not so — the parents of the “victim” in the report above are now stuck caring for him for the rest of their lives, his health insurance (if he had any) paid the stratospheric hospital and care bills, and over time various taxpayer-supported agencies will have to foot the bill for his care. He’s harmed not only himself but his immediate family, health insurance consumers who have to pay higher premiums as companies’ bills go up, and taxpayers who cover the bills for people on welfare.
This brings me back to my modest proposal on the subject, advanced some time back: people who OD or otherwise harm themselves with drugs should have to foot the bill for their own stupidity. Let’s extend that to any form of terminal stupidity, not just drug use.
In the regulation-free universe, if you show up at the ER in a state of self-induced distress, your insurance does not have to cover your bills, the hospital is excused from its obligation to treat you for free, and the taxpayer does not pay, either. If you can’t get your mom and dad to mortgage their home for a few million bucks to pay your bills, then you suffer the consequences.
Think of the things you can’t buy at all or can’t buy without letting Big Brother watch over your shoulder, for no other reason than that other people misbehave or harm themselves or their kids out of stupidity:
• cough medicine that works
• nasal decongestants that work (think Sudafed)
• headache pills in bottles you can get open
• toilet cleaner in bottles you can get open
• just about any cleaning product or yard-care product in bottles you can get open
• cars that don’t nag you when you open the door without removing the key
When you consider that few people harm or kill themselves with household products compared to the number of people who are killed and maimed in cars — in 2010, 8.5 times more fatalities than those killed in the World Trade Center — it’s surprising we’re allowed to drive cars at all.
One time I stepped on a nail that I had pounded into a piece of plywood. I removed the plywood, flipped it over, and placed it down figuring the risks of nail-stepping were low; alas, I soon had a nail through my foot.
Where are we on banning nails and boards?
Oh, absolutely: ban the damn things immediately! Both nails AND boards. Also rakes…people are always leaving them on the ground, stepping on the tines, and getting smacked in the face by the handle.
I would just like the pharmacy to keep my dear folks records straight when they pick up prescriptions. They have on more occasions than I can count messed up DF’s birth day….which invalidates his coverage….which either puts a stop to the medicine request OR triggers a price change (ie. price without insurance) of course higher depending on the button pusher’s inclination. When DM speaks up and questions why it is so high…then and only then do they recognize the problem and adjust it accordingly. Of course in an effort to protect us from ourselves …I …their son …am not allowed to know or have anything to do with their transaction due to “privacy laws”…You can’t make this stuff up!!!
Those privacy laws become a real menace when a parent becomes infirm and really NEEDS adult children to ride herd on prescriptions and medical care. Then you find yourself in the position of navigating blind or simply being unable to get care or manage care for the person. Same is true of an adult child who’s become infirm or is too sick to make rational decisions — you may have a 19-year-old kid who’s slipping into mental illness, and there’s not a damn thing you can do to help.
I’m all for education, and self regulation, but for some of the stuff you’re talking about there is an even cheaper fix. Keep poison control actively funded. Non-emergencies can be handled by experts over the phone without people rushing into emergency rooms and incurring insane costs. Sadly, poison control funding seems to have been dwindling across the country for years now.
THANK YOU!!!!! That is exactly so!
Over the years, I’ve used the poison control center here — nowadays you have to call to Tucson to reach someone — three times, once for a friend who was stung by a scorpion in the middle of the night and was convinced she needed to hurry to an ER. In that instance and in both instances where I called for myself, a rational person on the other end of the line explained the situation in words of one syllable and yes, averted trips to the emergency room.
My concern with this approach is that it could work against people who are mentally ill. Sometimes people OD on substances in a fit of extreme depression or due to other underlying mental health issues.
Also, I had no idea nail polish remover could be used so many ways! I wonder if all the nail salons that have popped up in recent years have to jump through hoops to get their supplies.
the only thing I can say about Sudafed is that I think that’s so hard to get only because of Meth. I actually saw this today: (http://www.newser.com/story/172514/how-big-pharma-keeps-meth-labs-cooking.html) that basically implies that meth creation would be a heck of a lot harder if Sudafed was prescription only but big-pharma is against it. As someone who needs Sudafed for sinus headaches, I’m not necessarily against it being OTC but I understand the argument.
Yeah, that’s exactly the issue: pseudoephedrine, the active ingredient in Sudafed, is a main ingredient in meth, and acetone, the stuff you find in some nail polish removers, is also used in meth production.
I’d rather have Sudafed available over the counter with a signature than having to wring a prescription out of a doctor and then fight with the insurance company over it. It really IS effective on a sinus headache! I’ve been known to buy a package when I don’t need it — but while there’s still plenty of pills left in the package purchased weeks or months earlier — by way of stockpiling the stuff.
I think that some people aren’t that bright, and are going to use things in the wrong way. As a result, they ruin it for other people. Like seriously – trampolines?
Trampolines are amazingly dangerous. Few people realize the extent of the risk…most of us, I think, equate it with the fun we used to have bouncing on the bed when Mom’s back was turned. The American Orthopedic Association reports that 246,875 medically treated trampoline injuries occur annually in the U.S. Many of those are major injuries: broken necks, head injuries, chest injuries.
When you think about it, jumping up and down on a sproingy thing that has a metal rim and that can easily pitch you onto the ground — and cause you to land on your head, neck, back, shoulder, hip — is none too smart. The question is, if you’re going to do this, should the rest of us be responsible for the obvious consequences?
Check out this page from the Foundation for Spinal Cord Injury, Prevention, Care, and Cure: http://www.fscip.org/tramp.html
We had a trampoline growing up – 4 kids, over 10-12 years of having the trampoline, plus various friends who would come over occasionally.
In all those years of using it daily – one at a time or in groups – there only one incident where some girl who was a neighbor of a friend showed up, acting stupid on it – and we told her to go home. To start with, she had already broken her arm and was wearing a cast – because she was an idiot – so she had no business being on the trampoline.
But other than that, nobody hurt themselves, and we had years of fun. Maybe American children can’t figure out how to have use it without putting themselves in danger?
Based on my experience, people who are most likely to hurt themselves on a trampoline are people who are on one for the first time, and don’t take it easy and *learn* how to use it. Once you have experience on it, you’re in full control and the “sproingy thing” isn’t going to launch you anywhere you don’t expect. Like any other skill, you have to practice and don’t push too far past your abilities.