Restore Common Sense – Commentary by Tony Penney

Somebody once said, “Nothing astonishes men so much as common sense and plain dealing.” They knew what they were talking about. When a politician or judge demonstrates those qualities it is astounding. When they do get it right, it’s a cause for celebration like the fourth of July. So far this year, I’ve used up two firecrackers. Those little bitty ones, that you can set off in your hand.

The people acting on our behalf [politicians and judges] are supposedly well educated individuals who can walk and chew gum at the same time. I’m not so sure anymore.

Their reasoning and actions have made common sense a redheaded orphan with no sponsor, neglected, laughed at and ignored. To hear that Social Security checks are sent to Guatemala is a prime example of gray cells being denied proper oxygen. I don’t call astonishment a strong enough description for this stupidity. A slack-jawed, eyes-big-as-headlights double-take, was my reaction. It’s bad enough that Medicare and other entitlements are routinely defrauded, but this insanity really takes the cake. The rarified air around Foggy Bottom must choke off the frontal lobes.

Practical thinking is still in bloom, around this neck of the woods. But the further North you go, say, Washington, D.C., the less you see of it. The government saddles us with inane decisions from learned men using less sense than the Lord gave an ant. Out in the boondocks you don’t need a Ph.D. to surmise that long-johns ain’t the place for a hot coal or that Rattlesnakes do not want to be cuddled. The only relief from the penumbra-laden mess we’re in, is a dose of common sense and plain dealing. It would do wonders for the country’s complexion.

At our house, we used to watch the teevee show HeeHaw. On it, Junior Samples, a good ol’ boy from Cummings, Georgia, played a country bumpkin from Kornfield Kounty. Now, Junior did have trouble with the English language on occasion, but he was no dummy. Barely educated, he was once questioned about his lack of knowledge. His good-natured reply was, “I might not know everything, but I suspect a whole lots.”

Most folks would agree. Out in the hinterlands we don’t know everything our leaders are up to, but we do suspect a whole lot. Not that it makes us any smarter, but it does go to show that knowledge has little to do with intellect. And good philosophy is just common sense all dressed up.

There’s no sound reason for the people’s business being conducted in such a pitiful manner. I realize the nitwits squealing at the government trough like it like that, but The Three Stooges could represent us better. If common sense were the order of the day, maybe our leaders could get used to a little plain dealing as well. If they have a real problem understanding the concept, they can always dial BR-549 and ask for Junior.

Tony Penney is an Unreconstructed Georgian, and a carpenter who lives in Dublin. His email is: TPENNEY@peoplepc.com.