The Nanny State
Last night my daughter watched the saddest Christmas movie I have ever seen. All Mine to Give tells the true story of Robert Eunson, who honors his mother's deathbed request to make sure that he and his five siblings find good homes with families who love children. This all took place in Wisconsin in the late 1870's. Robert's parents, Mamie and Robert, came to the United Sates in 1856. They built a good life for themselves and their six children. They inculcated in them the value of hard work and faith. Robert's father died from diphtheria. His mother worked hard to keep the family together, but then she too fell ill to disease, and on her deathbed, asked Robert to find good homes for the children. So, on Christmas eve Robert takes each child in turn to a neighbor's home and asks each family if they will please take in the child. It must have been the most difficult thing for Robert to do, but he did it, and he kept in touch with each child so that when they grew up they were close. All of them did well for themselves growing to be happy, productive adults. All except Kirk, who died at young age from alcholism.
Why the subject line of this post? Because if that happened today, child protective services would have swooped in, separated the children in such a way that they would have lost all contact with each other. Was it unfair of the mother to ask this of her son? It seems like it, but she knew her son well, and knew that he would do what was asked of him.
I am not saying we have no need of child protective services, but I am saying we are become a nation of regulations. The government is no longer there to serve and protect us, but it has become our parent, or Nanny, who knows what is best for us. We are like little children drifting along and the government has to tell us to buckle our seat belt, don't talk on the telephone while driving a car, don't eat that fatty food, it might kill you, that is if government regulations don't do it first.
Tonight is the last debate before the Iowa caucuses and we had better pay close attention to what they say, because this election is perhaps the most important election of my lifetime. It's time America grows up and pays attention or we might end up losing our Republic in favor Socialism or worse.
Why the subject line of this post? Because if that happened today, child protective services would have swooped in, separated the children in such a way that they would have lost all contact with each other. Was it unfair of the mother to ask this of her son? It seems like it, but she knew her son well, and knew that he would do what was asked of him.
I am not saying we have no need of child protective services, but I am saying we are become a nation of regulations. The government is no longer there to serve and protect us, but it has become our parent, or Nanny, who knows what is best for us. We are like little children drifting along and the government has to tell us to buckle our seat belt, don't talk on the telephone while driving a car, don't eat that fatty food, it might kill you, that is if government regulations don't do it first.
Tonight is the last debate before the Iowa caucuses and we had better pay close attention to what they say, because this election is perhaps the most important election of my lifetime. It's time America grows up and pays attention or we might end up losing our Republic in favor Socialism or worse.
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