Observers of the legislature often make a mental note on the amount of safety legislation that is introduced to the General Assembly each session. I wonder how long it will be before North Carolinians will be required to wear helmets in the shower. Apparently, I am not alone on this. A new book has been written by a Colorado journalist that nails it. “Nanny State: How Food Fascists, Teetotaling Do-Gooders, Priggish Moralists, and Other Boneheaded Bureaucrats Are Turning American Into a Nation of Children” is written by Denver Post columnist David Harsanyi. In the book, Harsanyi points out that this trend of "child proofing" our lives isn’t just happening here in the Old North State but in towns, cities and states all over the country. If we continue to mandate, via legislation, good habits or behavior, will we loose the ability to make the right choice on our own? My first encounter with the safety Kommissars came when my 5 year old wanted a pet turtle. A trip to the pet shop enlightened me to the brave new world we live in. The selling of turtles was banned in North Carolina back a few years ago to stop the deadly plague of salmonella that killed any child that said the word turtle aloud. So rather than promote the washing of hands, lawmakers decided to outlaw what had been a long time children’s pet. How long will it be before we do see those helmets in the shower?
Leave a Comment