Just Kidding

April Fools has become a 365-day holiday.

The consequences of bad behavior are no longer firm and just. The penalty for breaking the law or exhibiting bad behavior has become lenient and like jello.

Ben Roethlisberger's six-game suspension for behavior unbecoming of a NFL leader was decreased to four last week by Commissioner Roger Goodell. And actress Lindsay Lohan's jail time and drug rehab were reduced by more than 50%. Neither did anything to justify the reduced penalty. In essence, authorities were simply saying "Just kidding" when it came to sticking with the initial penalties.

You don't have to be a celeb or sports star to escape penalty for bad behavior or rules breaking. 21st century kids whose bad behavior would have gotten them kicked out of school during the 1960's are now temporarily reassigned to an alternative school. Boo hoo.

When did "speak softly and carry a big stick" become "speak loudly and carry a small stick"? Best that I can tell, it was my Baby Boomer generation that allowed this to happen over the past couple of decades.

What happens when consequences to bad behavior are not enforced? Bad behaviors increase as the expectation of little or no consequences decrease. Boundaries of good and bad behavior are blurred, unknown or nonexistent.

What can improve American culture? We need to look no farther than baseball for the answer. In 1994 California passed the 3-Strikes Law for repeat offenders. Radha Iyengar, of Harvard University, wrote an insightful study titled, I'd Rather be Hanged for a Sheep than a Lamb: The Unintended Consequences of 'Three Strikes' Laws, October 2007, in which he states, "I estimate that Three Strikes reduced participation in criminal activity by 20 percent for second-strike eligible offenders and a 28 percent decline for third-strike eligible offenders."

As a Christian, I believe in God's grace and mercy. But God says in Proverbs 28:23
"Whoever rebukes a person will in the end gain favor rather than one who has a flattering tongue." People who administer consistent consequences for bad behavior gain favor. Extending three strikes to six is doing no one a favor.

Let's encourage our leaders and law enforcement community to administer consequences ... good and bad ... consistently. That will enable the majority of well-baved, hard-working Americans to no longer be the fools from April 1st to March 31st.