Today we mourn the loss of an old friend who recent passed away. His name was Common Sense. He lived a long life and died in the United States.

His obituary reads as follows:

Common Sense, aka C.S., lived a long life, but died from heart failure. No one really knows how old he was, as his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

Known affectionately to close friends as Horse Sense and Sound Thinking, he selflessly devoted himself to a life of service in homes, schools, hospitals and offices, helping folks get jobs done without a lot of fanfare and foolishness. Rules and regulations and petty, frivolous lawsuits held no power over C.S.

A most reliable sage, he was credited with cultivating valuable lessons such as the ability to know when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, the discovery of life isn't always fair and how to take the bitter with the sweet. C.S. also developed sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn), reliable parenting strategies (the adult is in charge, not the kid) and and it's okay to come in second.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

A veteran of the Industrial Revolution, the Great Depression and the Technological Revolution, C.S. survived sundry cultural and educational trends including feminism, disco, body piercing, whole language and new math.

C.S.'s health began declining in the late 1960s when he became infected with the If-It-Feels-Good, Do-It virus. In recent decades his waning strength proved no match for the ravages of overbearing federal and state rules and regulations and an oppressive tax code. C.S. watched in pain and was sapped of strength and the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband, churches became businesses, criminals received better treatment than victims and Federal judges stuck their noses in everything from Boy Scouts to professional sports. He took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

His deterioration accelerated as schools implemented zero-tolerance policies. Reports of 6-year-old boys charged with sexual harassment for kissing classmates, a teen suspended for taking a swig of Scope mouthwash after lunch and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student were more than his heart could endure. It declined even further when schools had to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or aspirin to a student but cannot inform the parent when the student is pregnant or wants an abortion; when a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee is hot, and was awarded a huge settlement; and when the president sold security related technology to a hostile nation, Common Sense fell into a coma.

As the end neared, doctors say C.S. drifted in and out of logic but was kept informed of developments regarding regulations on low-flow toilets and mandatory air bags, thought control and partial birth abortion. inally, upon hearing about a government plan to ban inhalers from 14 million asthmatics due to a trace of a pollutant that may be harmful to the environment, C.S. breathed his last.

C.S. was preceded in death by his parents Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; one daughter, Responsibility; and two sons, Diligence and Reason. He is survived by step-brothers, Half-Wit, Dim-Wit, Deception, Greed, Ignorance, Rights, Tolerance and Whiner.

Memorial Contributions may be sent to the Institute for Rational Thought.

Farewell, Common Sense. May you rest in peace.