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The “nanny” state

We like LAWS in California, particularly in Sacramento, where many of them are made! :-) A few of us (foolishly) even believe that they affect human behavior! :-) (If you live near Livermore and believe that laws affect human behavior, spend a few minutes [and you WILL!] in the morning on the entrance ramp from Airway North to I-580 West and count the vehicles with solo occupants passing you on your left in the CARPOOL lane to the metering light. Just another “revenue opportunity” that the state continues to ignore…. :-) )

California State Senator Tony Strickland (R-Thousand Oaks) was quoted in the LATimes online:

“This is a nanny state that tells you what you can eat, what you can drink, what you have to wear during your outdoor recreation,” said state Sen. Tony Strickland (R-Thousand Oaks). “I believe it’s the parents’ responsibility to decide what is best for their children. It is arrogance having government officials telling you, ‘You’re not smart enough, so we’re going to tell you what is right and wrong for you.’ “

Adding “fuel to the fire” :-) are folks like TV’s “Dr. Phil” McGraw, who supports the California proposal to require helmets for snowboarding kids.

State Senator Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) has authored SB 1255 which would ban the on-campus sale of Gatorade and other sugary sports drinks during school hours but allow them at practices and games. (California has ALREADY banned sugary sodas [sometimes called “pop” elsewhere] from campuses.) That proposal is sponsored by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and backed by the California Teachers Association. Kent Mercer, head athletic trainer at De La Salle High School in Concord believes that the ban goes too far and that sports drinks help students perform better in the classroom as well as on the field:

“They need to have that understanding of the role it plays, as opposed to just not having that option at schools and being limited to fruit drinks with high levels of fruit sugars,” Mercer said.

A Senate committee recommended on Wednesday that there be a three-year moratorium on the use of metal bats in high-school baseball, after a 16-year-old student from Marin Catholic High School was badly injured after being hit by a line drive from a metal bat. Assemblyman Jared Huffman (D-San Rafael) introduced the bill AB 7. State Senator Bob Huff (R-Diamond Bar) opposed the bill, saying it is unwarranted meddling by lawmakers in a sport already regulated by a regional federation.

(Note added June 10, 2010: I have sometimes argued for “waiting periods,” a national data base, registration, and licensing for owners of dangerous golf clubs [just kidding :-) ] which can be deadly in the hands of both novices and some ex-Presidents, alike! [But you can see the parallels….] :-) )

Assemblywoman Fiona Ma (D-San Francisco) introduced a bill that would prohibit branding a minor with a hot iron (yes, people actually have this done to themselves). The bill would also bar certain body piercings, including those to genitals and nipples, even if a parent approves.

Noting that the state bars tattooing minors, Ma said: “AB 223 simply follows the same logic of protecting minors from health risks.”

Well, I almost don’t know WHERE to begin.

First off, it’s NOT about being a “nanny.” :-)

It’s about CONTROL.

The members of the California Legislature do an AMAZINGLY POOR job of tasks that are legitimately “in their domain,” for example, THE BUDGET!

Partly, it is because the control freaks in the Legislature want to control so much that is OUTSIDE of their domain… so that they feel “safer” in their personal lives, and THAT takes a LOT of time out of their days! For example, although California is already one of the most restrictive states in the U.S. with regard to firearms, the State Legislature continues to grind its favorite axes and NOW wants to register rifles and shotguns (AB 1810, authored by Assemblyman Mike Feuer [D-Los Angeles]). Gee, you would think that we would see a drop in CRIME, if it were related to firearms laws. :-) (Let’s agree to give up THAT pretense for all of the bills. You might as well say that you want more gun control because it worked for Hitler in 1938.)

Adults, however, seem harder to control than children. :-) They resist too much.

The world is not a safe place, and it cannot be made safe.

What if the baseball “line drive” above (or another one) had come from a WOODEN bat? Should we outlaw BASEBALL, “America’s Pastime?” :-)

As for nutrition in California: that is an entire universe unto itself. I call it “Voodoo Nutrition” because people have a wide range of beliefs about nutrition here. Some of these beliefs are based on facts; some of these beliefs are based on marketing, :-) and some of these beliefs are based on speculations that science has not even investigated, yet.

There seems to be a general failure, in California, to recognize that “accidents happen.” It might be a case of having too many lawyers in the state, :-) or it might be a belief that the world can be made totally safe (some find it such an unpredictable, scary place :-) ). It might be the logical extension of “political correctness” (in contrast to “reality“) carried too far.

Or, it might just be that “… we’re all mad here….

Grow up, people. If you want to know how the natural world works (so that you can feel “safer” :-) ), take some natural science courses. They won’t help you much with human societies, however, which are quite unnatural, indeed! There are psychology, anthropology, sociology, and various humanities courses for those. If you don’t have time/money to take a course, read a book! :-)

Control freaks would not be too bad if they did not RUN EVERYTHING and just spent the day cowering in their homes. :-) However, they present a real challenge to the rest of us, who must calmly and rationally OPPOSE them, on a seemingly endless basis. :-)

At least, in California, we’ll never run out of things to do.

-Bill at

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