Articles tagged as

Nanny State

NH House

So Kids, What Did We Learn From This Week’s House Session (06/08/23)?

by Judy Aron

We learned that Republican attendance still put them in the minority today as compared to the Democrat caucus. With 8 Republican members out, and 4 on the Dem side, it put the numbers around 191D-187R in the morning and hovering around 188D-182R later in the day. It is the reason some nanny state bills passed … Read more

Assault furniture

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“TV tip-over warnings are imperative, said Dr. Gary Smith, president of the Center for Injury Research and Policy.

Saturday morning Looking Spoon

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H/T The Looking Spoon

Black Market Bloomberg

by Steve MacDonald

smoking - what about the tobacco taxes in New Hampshire

New York City Mayor Mike ‘Big Gulp’ Bloomberg has proposed raising the smoking age in New York City from 18 to 21 years of age.  A companion proposal would hike the price of a pack of cigarettes to more than ten dollars per pack, presumably to a) convince more people to quit and b) recover revenue lost by prohibiting a big chunk of the tax base from paying taxes on cigarettes they are no longer permitted to smoke.

But how does New York’s evil super genius plan to recover the revenue lost to the expansion of the black market?

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Windham School Board Bans ‘Human Target’ Activities (aka – Dodgeball!)

by Steve MacDonald

Susan posted a link to the story here, but the first sentence from the Concord Monitor article was all I needed to see. The Windham School District has banned dodgeball and other “human target” activities over concerns about violence and bullying. That’s a very broad statement.  Almost every action of government is a form of … Read more

‘Tweet of the Day’ – Matt Dawson

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It would be funny if it weren’t true. H/T Weasel Zippers and Matt Dawson

“Arbitrary and Capricious”

by Steve MacDonald

“We have a responsibility as human beings to do something, to save each other, to save the lives of ourselves, our families, ourfriends, and all of the rest of the people that live on God’s planet. And so while other people will wring their hands over the problem of sugary drinks, in New York City, … Read more

Ruth Gulick – A Belknap County Democrat Morality Tale

by Steve MacDonald

Once Upon A Time

Democrats say the darnedest things.  Take NH House Rep Ruth Gulick (D- Aesop’s Fables), whom Skip recorded at a recent Belknap county budget meeting.  Ruth shared a little morality tale with those present, with regard to budgets and responsibility.

In Ruth’s version the county taxpayers have a moral responsibility to the employees whom they pay.  That responsibility includes ensuring that the employees continue to enjoy the lifestyle to which they have become accustomed, regardless of any other circumstances.  Put simply; she objects to taxpayers (or any of their elected representatives) asking those employees to pay more for their own benefits.

Not a surprise coming from a Democrat, until you hear how she went about it.

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Notable Quote: Their Faith is in The Legislator, Ours is in Mankind

by Steve MacDonald

Bastiat, Frederic BastiatI am, I confess, one of those who think that choice and impulse ought to come from below and not from above, from the citizen and not from the legislator; and the opposite doctrine appears to me to tend to the destruction of liberty and of human dignity.

But by a deduction as false as it is unjust, do you know what economists* are accused of?  It is, that when we disapprove of government support, we are supposed to disapprove of the thing itself whose support is discussed;

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A Conservative Solution to The Public School Lunch Circular Firing Squad

by Steve MacDonald

Federal mandates made school lunches cost more and forced foods into them most kids don’t care for so the Derry School District Lunch program School lunches dont have to be expensive trach no one wantsis pondering why overall receipts are down.

“The food service numbers are significantly less on student sales,” Simard said. She said the food services department is still working to determine the cause and whether it is the result of new meal plans and food choices required under state and federal reimbursement guidelines.

She knows why she is just being diplomatic.  The Feds have made lunch cost more.  They have made the cost of providing lunch cost more.  They have simultaneously required foods that a majority of the target hot lunch customer base does not enjoy while making foods they do less accessible or unavailable.  The result is more cost for less benefit.

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Wither Thee A Thermostat – One Example of How Government Can Ruin Your Life

by Steve MacDonald

Here is a very good example of why the Government sucks, and why the very nature of the state as a reliever of ills is actually destructive to that very end..

Throughout the entire winter, every winter lately, the temperature in my house is around 63-65 degrees.  At night, and when we are out, it is a good bit colder.  This is not exactly the most comfortable environment but I have no choice.  I cannot afford to keep it warmer so we grab extra sweatshirts and blankets and suck it up.

Now some folks will ask, why can’t you afford it and if not would you be eligible for something like heating aid?

I probably am eligible, but it is the governments own fault that I would even need to be eligible in the first place so that is not the kind of aid I want or need.

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The New Up and Coming Scourge of Our Nations Youth: The Bouncy House?

by Steve MacDonald
The danger of bounce houses
Danger Will Robinson – DANGER!

The number of U.S. children hurt while using inflatable bouncers, such as bounce houses and moonwalks, is 15 times higher than in 1995, according to a new study.

That’s the lead from Reuters.

I didn’t look past the dead link at the bottom of the article but I’d love to know who the ‘researchers’ are and who paid them to figure this out because as I understand it the increased use or access to anything by the human animal will result in an increase in injuries.

“Groups should take a look at these data, help us get the word out and make sure parents are making informed decisions,” said Dr. Gary Smith, director of the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.
 
The number of kids being brought into emergency rooms (ERs) for the injuries increased from 702 in 1995 to 11,311 children in 2010.

Informed decisions…?

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Thanksgiving Day message from our Government: ah yes,THIS is what we pay good money for…

by Skip

Yes, where would we all be without them – so lost in so mismanaging our lives?  Once again, the taxpayer funded US Govt (aka, our supremely concerned Nanny State) believes that we taxpayers need reminders to watch out for ourselves as we celebrate time with family and friends in thanking God for the bounty He has given us.

Sidenote: except for perhaps Obama who, once again, decided that giving thanks to God is semi-redundant for His Obamaworshipness:

“…We’re also grateful that this country has always been home to Americans who see these blessings not simply as gifts to enjoy, but as opportunities to give back. Americans who believe we have a responsibility to look out for those less fortunate – to pull each other up and move forward together…”

Yes, we have ourselves to thank – all together now as yer movin’ FORWARD! together to that cliff/tipping point with us, like it or not! Can’t he leave the political stuff alone for just ONE speech?

Yes, these same folks who are otherwise indistinguishable from the rest of us except that we pay the taxes that form their pay checks.  Anyways, here are the pithy pronouncements for we plebes for this Thanksgiving Day; from CNSNews is this post:

Gov’t Tells Americans What to Discuss at Holiday Dinner; Declares Thanksgiving ‘Family Health History Day’

(CNSNews.com) – The Thanksgiving holiday comes with a series of advisories and admonitions from your favorite Uncle Sam:

Boiling down, do you really think that Govt would send a message that actually meshes with the real reason for today?

  • Transportation Department – “buckle up and slow down,”
  • FDA – watch those meds carefully when travelling to keep them away from the kiddos (gee, did they want us to buckle them in too?)

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Notable Quote: Does ‘Policy’ Make Matters Worse?

by Steve MacDonald

Having entered a protest against all objections from these quarters I may the more freely inquire, from history and experience, how far policy has contributed in all times to alleviate those evils which Providence, that perhaps has designed us for a state of imperfection, has imposed; how far our physical skill has cured our constitutional … Read more

So, Dems in Belknap county, that would mean that you will spend a lot, ignore the Constitution, and grow Govt? AGAIN?

by Skip

2012 House Belknap 2 Dems - Front‘Tis the season of political surveys coming in on the phone.  Today, I think I got five, and a whole bunch of hangups which I take to be auto-dials by such companies looking for folks to call later or that with “predictive dialing”, there wasn’t an agent ready when “it” thought there would be when it dialed the number.  It is also the time for “mailers”; candidates trying to sell their message like these four Democrat ProRegressives: Kate Miller, Bill Johnson, Sandy Mucci, and MY fav Lisa DiMartino (she of the “my house is in the flight path – there might be a crash” fame.  More on that later).

They are running as a team.  That’s fine – my pick are the four Conservatives (that happen to be running on the Republican ticket) Colette Worseman, Herb Vadney, Bob Greemore, and my personal friend Kevin Leandro.

Back to the Dems – remember, the electorate (that would be you, the voters) decided that the Democrats were the extremists in 2010 – and told them emphatically that their social issue voting and their absolutely crazy spending were no longer to be tolerated.  So, what did these qwazy quad send as a message?  That would be on the flip side of the card:

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“Pew Research Center survey finds declining support for government safety nets” – Well, yes!

by Skip

This article is kinda / mostly straight up and down…OK, it’s not if you think about it hard.  It tries hard to present an objective view but when I look at the examples given, the veil falls.  In fact, the examples that are inserted to try to arouse a sympathetic aire concerning the safety net simply either doesn’t begin to think of the important unasked questions, or sweeps them under the rug.  Like this one (reformatted):

Jasmine McIntyre is thankful for the social safety net supporting her and her unborn child at the Florence Crittenton home.  Without the residential program for at-risk teen moms, she would have scant money, little education and a bleak future.  Instead, she is pursuing a job and is ready to enroll in college courses…Living at Florence Crittenton in a sprawling, old house with a dozen other hormonal, pregnant teens is not how McIntyre imagined her life when her parents moved to South Carolina three years ago. She was a student at West Ashley High School when she was sexually assaulted and dropped out of school. However, she went on to earn her GED, and the man she alleges attacked her was arrested.  Then she learned she was pregnant (though not from the assault).

She decided to have her baby girl. McIntyre sent the baby to live with her own mother, who had since moved to Ohio, and made plans to move there herself. She was working two jobs when she learned she was pregnant again.  With little money and no higher education, McIntyre and her mother worried. What was her future? And what could she offer two small children?  Again, McIntyre decided to have the baby. But this time, now 19, she moved into Florence Crittenton, a home for at-risk, unwed young women….Its clients are more likely to stay in school, learn life skills and give birth to healthy babies. For every $1 the program spends, it saves $4 in tax dollars, Executive Director Lisa Belton said.

OK, let’s be blunt – real blunt, because if we shy away from saying the obvious, from asking the hard questions that now  are off limits (because of Political Correctness), we’re only dealing with results and not the root causes.

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We need to get them relocated to NH……….

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In his first Annual Message to Congress in 1790, George Washington said:

”A free people ought not only to be armed but disciplined; to which end a uniform and well digested plan is requisite: And their safety and interest require that they should promote such manufactories, as tend to render them independent on others, for essential, particularly for military supplies.”

Another example of Economic Freedom as measured by the crush of regulation without regard to cost – the story from  Hot Air:

Gun microstamping could close American factories

I understand that gun owners’ rights and the Second Amendment haven’t really been a touchstone in this year’s elections, but that doesn’t mean that the battle isn’t still being waged. One story out this month hits pretty close to home for me, both figuratively and literally. It involves the Remington Arms plant located in Ilion, a village in upstate New York. They are currently battling a pending move by the state government which would force them to put laser etched microstamps on the firing pins of all their weapons, driving costs through the roof.

Microstamping, or ballistic imprinting, is a patented process that uses laser technology to engrave a tiny marking of the make, model and serial number on the tip of a gun’s firing pin to allow an imprint of that information on spent cartridge cases. Supporters of the technology say it will be a “game changer,” allowing authorities to quickly identify the registered guns used in crimes. Opponents claim the process is costly, unreliable and may ultimately impact the local economies that heavily depend on the gun industry, including Ilion, N.Y., where Remington Arms maintains a factory, and Hartford, Conn., where Colt’s manufacturing is headquartered.

“Mandatory microstamping would have an immediate impact of a loss of 50 jobs,” New York State Sen. James Seward, a Republican whose district includes Ilion, said, adding that Remington employs 1,100 workers in the town. “You’re talking about a company that has options in other states. Why should they be in a state that’s hostile to legal gun manufacturing? There could be serious negative economic impact with the passage of microstamping and other gun-control laws.”

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Pelham NH To Consider Ban on Driving?

by Steve MacDonald

car-accident -Should Pelham NH ban automobiles?After years of watching citizens and tourists of all ages fail to properly operate motor vehicles–resulting in  millions of dollars in property damage, injury, and death, Pelham New Hampshire has opened a discussion about whether or not to ban driving in their town.

“Some of these accidents have scarred people for life, others have died,” said Kneejerk Reaction. “We just can’t let this continue.”

OK.  I’m kidding.  Sort of.  Pelham is having a conversation about whether or not to ban fireworks (as predicted) after an incident this past summer in which several people were injured, and some of them were, to quote the article, scarred for life.  While we wish the best for those affected, banning behaviors based on one incident like this is not wise.

Hey I slipped on a wet floor.  That’s it.  No more mopping!

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S.3307 The Healthy Hunger Free Kids Act…Guess Who Voted for It?

by Steve MacDonald
Michelle Obama Minister of crappy public school lunches
Eat that spinach…Eat it!

S.3307 (2010) is the legislation that empowered the Feds to regulate local school lunches. It is the regulation that is driving up the cost of school lunches by law because the law demands parity of price regardless of cost. It is the law that limits the number of calories and other nutritional elements to a national standard, regardless of a student’s size or activity level. It is the law that limits menu choices to those defined by the central government, choices kids are rejecting in large numbers, resulting in food being wasted. (Food that costs more because of the law.)

Kids are hungry. High School Athletes are under-nourished. They don’t like or want the food being forced on them. Black markets are forming to fill the need. And food is being wasted.

Let’s face it, Hungry kids do not make good students. This law is a turd sandwich.

So who among the New Hampshire Delegation voted for this crappy central planning nightmare? How about all of them.

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Microcosm of Nanny State Failure: School Lunch

by Steve MacDonald

Being programmed by the state has finally hit kids where they live–in the stomach.  And there is an important lesson to be learned if the kids and their stomachs are listening.  That lesson is this: Federal mandates apply force, limit choices, and result in waste, and that is exactly what has happened thanks to Michelle Obama and her meddling bureaucrats at the USDA etc.

The Government was given broad power to enforce menu standards, limiting calories, and forcing food onto menus that kids simply will not eat.  The result is waste on both sides of the serving line; costs to purchase the mandated foods that cafeteria managers know kids will not eat, the forced increase in the cost of lunches to meet some arbitrary Federal guideline, and then the waste as food that is being forced on students that is thrown away.

This is the alpha and omega of the centrally planned government that Democrats dream of.  And how are the kids responding….

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