From one of Andy Rooney’s observations on newspaper headlines:

Look at this headline: CRACKDOWN ON TOY SAFETY RULES PROVES NO FUN FOR TOY MAKERS

A page one story in the New York Times says toy makers are in big trouble because the government is cracking down on toys that are not safe. I’ve forgotten a lot of the toys I played with as a kid but I think I liked the ones that weren’t safe the best. I should think toy makers could claim that their unsafe toys help kids learn how to be careful.

I got a pogo stick that I loved as a present one Christmas, but I never see pogo sticks anymore. I’ll bet it’s because some parent sued the company that made them when their kid got hurt falling off one. It’s like making cars illegal because there are auto accidents.

My mother was nervous about letting me have a two-wheeled bike but she finally got me one and I never fell off. The move from a three-wheeled bike to a two-wheeler is one of the major steps in a child’s life. I rode my two-wheeled Iver Johnson bike for five years and never had an accident. Of course, I never wore a helmet.

I can see the headline now: ANDY ROONEY BREAKS HIS NECK FALLING OFF A BIKE. Think I’d make page one?

Andy Rooney made page one of the news after passing last night at age 92. RIP.