Slightly philosophical/legal question

[Garrick]

^ what side of the bed did you wake up on this morning? :ROFLMAO:

[skahound]

^ what side of the bed did you wake up on this morning?

Was just answering his question!

[Morgan]

odds are you signed documents with your employer that explain what will and won't be tolerated. It has nothing to do with the legality of your actions. It's not illegal to wear shorts and a T-shirt, but if you did it at work, you'd be fired bc there are probably dress code guidelines.

Likewise if you are tested positive for pot, then that violates the terms of your contract.

Spot on, it is a contract between the company and the employee.

[picklemonkey]

neech, you beat me to it. if you signed their papers, they can fuck you any which way they feel like.

I said it came up in conversation. I feel sorry for you that you are never just sitting around and are curious as to what the answer of a particular question is. Thank god there were people out there who questioned basic, unidentified principles such as gravity, motion, etc.

like murder. just because you don't do it doesn't make it a non-important subject. something that affects many people, whether it's directly or indirectly, still needs to be considered to keep people in line. otherwise you have lawsuits that result in shit like "Caution! Coffee is very hot!" being put in front of you.

[skahound]

shit like "Caution! Coffee is very hot!" being put in front of you.

Actually that's a very interesting story that was brutally hammered by the press and steered in a particular direction by the media in order for sensationalism and to raise fears of an overly letigious society. If you haven't read the full story, you definitely should.

http://www.okbar.org/public/judges/mcdonaldsspeech.pdf

[Yao]

Yeah, somehow there's still people on this planet that are surprised when the coffee seems to be actually hot...I've personally always thought milkshakes are too damn cold...?!

[picklemonkey]

shit like "Caution! Coffee is very hot!" being put in front of you.

Actually that's a very interesting story that was brutally hammered by the press and steered in a particular direction by the media in order for sensationalism and to raise fears of an overly letigious society. If you haven't read the full story, you definitely should.

http://www.okbar.org/public/judges/mcdonaldsspeech.pdf

I hadn't read the full story, but after doing so I still think it's Stella's fault. Who actually tries opening any cup fill to the brim while in a car?! Seriously, there's a lid on it to keep it from spilling. Think about it:

Lids are used to prevent spillage. Remove the lid = Coffee will spill
Coffee is hot = Coffee will hurt

I feel sorry for her, for sure... but just because McDonalds earns 2.5 billion dollars in coffee sales each year doesn't automatically mean that it's the one that has to pay for her accidents.

[toasty]

The legality of smoking pot when you do it is completely secondary. A would-be employer can choose not to employ you for absolutely any reason at all, provided it is not on some invidious basis (e.g., race, sex). Employers that choose not to employ people that do drugs don't do it because drugs are illegal -- they do so because they choose not to have people that might be impaired on their payroll.

Put another way, you do not have a right to be employed just because you are a law-abiding citizen, nor are you automatically excluded from having a job because you are a criminal. The two are effectively unrelated from each other from a legal standpoint, although as a practical matter, employers certainly take that type of thing into account.

My $.02, anyway.

[toasty]

shit like "Caution! Coffee is very hot!" being put in front of you.

Actually that's a very interesting story that was brutally hammered by the press and steered in a particular direction by the media in order for sensationalism and to raise fears of an overly letigious society. If you haven't read the full story, you definitely should.

http://www.okbar.org/public/judges/mcdonaldsspeech.pdf

I hadn't read the full story, but after doing so I still think it's Stella's fault. Who actually tries opening any cup fill to the brim while in a car?! Seriously, there's a lid on it to keep it from spilling. Think about it:

Lids are used to prevent spillage. Remove the lid = Coffee will spill
Coffee is hot = Coffee will hurt

People often harp on the McDonald's case as an example of the legal system gone awry. Absurd and sensationalized as the case was, I tend to view it as an example of the checks and balances of the legal system working as it should. McDonald's got popped with a massive verdict which was disproportionate to the evidence, and the judge stepped in and reduced it to a more reasonable number. That little tidbit is rarely mentioned...

It is certainly true that people shouldn't use their crotch as a coaster -- which is why the jury found her partially at fault. When you think about it, though, McDonald's was serving coffee that was about 25 degrees from being coffee vapor -- that's really, really, really hot.

I feel sorry for her, for sure... but just because McDonalds earns 2.5 billion dollars in coffee sales each year doesn't automatically mean that it's the one that has to pay for her accidents.

Agree 100% -- but after the decision is made by a jury that they intend to award punitive damages -- which are designed to punish and deter, not compensate -- the fact that McD's makes $2.5B a year becomes important. For punies to have any effect, you have to take into account the financial situation of the wrongdoer, b/c it needs to be an amount that the company will feel (which is also why insurance doesn't generally cover punitive damages). A $1M award would bankrupt some companies, but to McD's, it would be viewed as a cost of doing business.

[rarcia00]

Re: Slightly philosophical/legal question

Actually I did know that marijuana was legal there, so if you want to try it go ahead, it wont kill you from trying

[skahound]

[insert what toasty wrote here]

Very well put.

[Gonzo]

I have a simpler thought: You don't want to smoke, right? Then... don't care about what would happen ...

I said it came up in conversation. I feel sorry for you that you are never just sitting around and are curious as to what the answer of a particular question is. Thank god there were people out there who questioned basic, unidentified principles such as gravity, motion, etc. Go back to leading your dull, boring life of taking everything that is handed to you without questioning it, lemming.

Come on Ska, just a little sense of humour... I usually think about bizarre things and why they are the way they are, just as you say you do... Don't get angry by such a senseless reply.

[skahound]

Come on Ska, just a little sense of humour... I usually think about bizarre things and why they are the way they are, just as you say you do... Don't get angry by such a senseless reply.

Sorry, didn't detect ANY humor in your post. Usually an 'lol' or a smiley at the end denotes humor. And don't think I was angry, just merely responding to the question you posed.

[esef]

wait... you ate at Denny's? :o

[skahound]

wait... you ate at Denny's? :o

Haha, first time in years. Years ago I used to go all the time because it was one of 2 places actually open late at night relatively close to my dorm at the University of Florida. Denny's and Steak-n-Shake; the fucking McDonald's right next to the campus closed at 10pm every night! I couldn't believe it.