Democratic congressman Dennis Kucinich is suing a congressional cafeteria in the District of Columbia Superior Court for $150,000 over an olive pit from a sandwich wrap he ordered nearly two years ago. The case was filed January 3 and is scheduled to go to court April 8. He claims that the sandwich wrap “contained dangerous substances,” and that it caused him “serious and permanent” dental injuries.
I think this is a sad demonstration of the failure of our government and legal system. While the President spoke yesterday about cutting down on wasteful government spending, here we have an example of a member of our government wasting the time and money of our courts on this frivolous and ridiculous lawsuit.
Should this case even be heard in the courts? The purpose of the courts should be to establish fairness and correct injustice for the people of the United States, not for the wealthy and powerful to lay frivolous claims over petty injuries. The fact that the Superior Court is hearing this case indicates to me that there is something wrong with our judicial system, that our politicians have way too much influence over it.
And what of Kucinich? As a congressman, he naturally has a good amount of political clout. That he is abusing his power to further his petty grudges rather than to serve the American power is unacceptable.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
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8 comments:
The judicial system exists to ensure that the law is applied correctly... unfortunately, cases like this show that it can be abused, and people will sue over the silliest things if they can afford it.
If angels were to govern men...
Why waste your time on this? there is no reason to sue, for $150,000, since it was just a pit he found in his wrap. Kucinich makes it sounds as if he found a mini bomb in his wrap the would have killed him. Also, how could his mouth attain serious and permanent dental injuries? usually when i am eating and i find i am biting down on something hard i take it out of my mouth, i don't keep eating it till i mess up my teeth so i can sue some company. This is a very petty matter and i find that the judicial court shouldn't even consider this case since there are much more important cases out there dealing with larger problems that affect more than just a single person, and his dental care. Kucinich, you are a grown man, this was an obvious mistake and your mouth is not that messed up that it would cost $150,000.
WHOA! There seems to be a lot of talk about these claims being frivolous, but lets get a few things straight:
1. Kucinich was 62 2 years ago; that's an age where physique of the body is quite different from ours. To compare the discomfort he suffered to the ones we'd suffer if his situation just doesn't work.
2.Kucinich suffered as a result of someone else's mistake, this is perfectly okay to be heard in a court of law.
3. Tooth pains are very painful, as anyone who has ever gotten a root canal or even braces can attest to.
4. Dental procedures cost quite a bit, especially quality ones. A congressman like Kucinich has to maintain an excellent public appearance, so quality care for his teeth could easily rack up amounts in the thousands (keep in mind that a simple crown construction and fitting costs $1000 by itself as of 2007.
5. Finally,while the amount he is suing for might be a bit over the top, please keep in mind that pain is very hard to measure in monetary amounts. If he suffered greatly (as he most likely did) for a great deal of time, $150,000 might actually be in a good ballpark.
So basically, with everything taken in context, this really isn't an abuse of anything. It's just a man trying to be compensated for real, serious damages.
As Christian said, it's a waste of our time. I think it is quite petty and immature of Kucinich to even be involving everyone in such a small conflict. He is acting like a drama king/queen and as a political figure should be more mature and sophisticated and not mock the judicial system by clogging up their time/efforts with his "olive pit" incident.
For someone who was running for President of the United States just three years ago, this is quite childish and frivolous behavior. I certainly expect senior members of our government to behave in a more professional and constructive manner. Whether this is for five minutes of fame or the thrill of suing one's own employer, these actions will certainly not carry well with Kucinich's constituents and effectively close the doors on a potential presidential bid in upcoming years.
For someone who publicizes himself as "America's Most Courageous Congressman," Kucinich certainly needs to show a little more courage whilst dealing with cafeteria food.
I would have to agree with Mr. Fu on this one. The pain resulting from gross negligence on part of another human being can be excruciating and costly. I can personally appreciate Senator Kucinich's situation not only because he goes onto a list of the many corrupt-liberal Democrats, but also because I have had to get two root canals and two crowns as a result of a dental filling appointment gone wrong (you seriously don't want to know what happened). Further more I do think that Obama would encourage the Senators actions as a portion of the money won from the law suit will go to taxes... maybe there should be more frivolous law suits against the upper 2% of wage earners in the nation for this purpose.
@Tim
Dental fillings gone wrong merit a lawsuit. Biting too hard on an olive pit does not. If I took several injuries from eating a sandwich, the fault lies not with the company, but with me.
Also, frivolous lawsuits are not legitimate methods for tax purposes. That is what I call extortion. Seriously, would you like to get sued for something completely stupid for the sake of giving more money to the government? If Obama encourages this, it would be political suicide.
I thoroughly expect Kucinich to lose the presidential bid. Anyone exhibiting this type of childish behavior will not get very far in the elections.
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