Finneran: Life in the Nanny State…And Nanny is Nuts
Friday, August 08, 2014
Their crime, you ask? They let their children walk to the local playground. Heaven forbid!!!
America is now officially insane. The recent arrests and prosecution of two mothers on child neglect/ child abuse/ child endangerment charges is just the latest evidence of America’s meltdown. The kids, “the victims” involved in these high crimes are not toddlers. They were seven and nine years-old respectively and their mothers seem perfectly normal. One mom was at work and the other mom was busy with household chores. The kids walked to the local playground where some bed-wetting busybody raised the alarm about children playing in a playground without an adult hovering over them every second of the day!
A police officer’s comment regarding the vague possibility of predators added to the lunacy of the moment. Must the taxpayers huddle in their homes holding their children’s hands all day and every day while the playground for which they paid is surrendered to imaginary predators? And if the risk of predators is more real rather than imaginary, might not the town more aggressively patrol the playgrounds? Why are things so upside down these days? The priorities should be pretty clear here- the working taxpaying parents and their children must come first, and those who would do them harm are the ones to be harmed, properly of course.
Now I’m sure that the busybody citizen and the police officer involved meant well, showing an admirable concern for a young boy alone at play. But might they have acted on their concern by engaging with the young boy rather than by calling out the prosecutors? A simple two minute conversation with the boy could determine his alertness and his well-being. That same two minute conversation would glean his name and address and could gently advise him to remain alert.
By the way, what in God’s name are the prosecutors thinking by bringing the full weight of the government against the parents? Felony charges? Jail time? This is sheer lunacy wrapped in an official suit. And it gives legitimate law enforcement a bad name. Might a responsible adult somewhere along the line show some judgment? All these “zero-tolerance, hard-line policies” lead to inane results where a teacher can no longer hug a child and a coach has to weigh his every word on an ever-changing scale of political correctness. Now apparently even mothers themselves are at risk. I can see America’s next generation of kids- fear of the street, fear of the sidewalk, fear of the playground, looking like a haunted hunted ferret, as pale as light, as plump as Thanksgiving turkeys, but excellent gamers from lives lived indoors.
Congress is frequently criticized these days for “failing to pass laws,” but does any sentient American really think that there are not enough laws governing our lives? The nanny state of modern America regulates toilet flushes! The nanny state of modern America dictates our choice of light bulbs. Don’t let a son or daughter try to open a lemonade stand outside your home. Crazy people from the board of health, the planning board, and the licensing board will pounce on your kids like they’re war criminals. The nanny state of modern America nags and threatens and bullies ordinary citizens with codes and regulations and ordinances covering every possible human activity. And no citizen- not even a gifted and very well-read lawyer- can possibly comprehend the one hundred page statutes and the one thousand page regulations covering all those conceivable human activities. Thus judgment becomes critical. Thus common sense is essential. Thus restraint is divine.
Back to those mothers and those playgrounds- no more than two generations ago, every American child was “alone” at the local playground or swimming hole for every summer day and just about every weekend. They made friends, played games, developed personalities, and learned to fend for themselves in the world. Sure there were bullies, an occasional “stranger,” and some bad influences. But life can’t be lived in an antiseptic laboratory and 99 plus percent of American kids learned how to handle themselves without a helicopter parent attached to their hip.
Let’s lighten up America. Mothers know better than bureaucrats. In fact, mothers always know best. Let kids be kids and let’s let them play.
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