About making bad decisions

This is not a story about bad people.  It's a story about bad decisions.

Everyone in the Winneshiek County courtroom agreed on that much—the prosecutor, the defense attorney, the judge and especially the defendant.  Jay Jermier told the judge prior to being sentenced on charges filed in the death of a Calmar woman, "I broke the law and made a mistake."

It's not that a bad decision always leads to a bad result.  People have been known to drink too much and yet still manage to get home safely.  And it's not that a good decision always leads to a good result.  You can be obeying all traffic laws and still get in an accident because of something the other person does.

But here's the truth that too many people want to ignore by telling themselves, "I only had a few drinks," or "I can still make it home"--making bad decisions increases the chances of a bad result.  And so a Calmar woman lost her life and a Decorah man got sent to jail.

So the next time you're tempted to skip calling a cab and instead trying to make it home on your own, remember the words of the judge to Jay Jermier, "You seem sincere (in your grief), but your grief cannot bring back Ms. Taylor."