Government over-reach

Smoke ‘Em if Ya Got ‘Em

So, I have a friend who follows me on Lifezilla. I mean, why wouldn’t you, right? I was talking to him and he mentioned that often in the comment sections, I, your humble narrator, gets “burned every time.” He said, “It is like they smell blood in the water and they just attack you. I always look forward to your reply, but you never do. Why do you take it?” If you go back and look I have only replied to a comment once or twice. There are times I want to do this:

Oh, that was harsh…

I have a clever response…
Type Type Typety Type Type
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Type Type Typety Type Type Ty…

[Highlight – Delete]
[Close]

This may sound harsh. But the truth of the matter is I really don’t care that much. I’m a big boy. I have my opinions on stuff. I figure the commenters (is that a word) are big people too, so I let them have a voice. I’m a Conservative: as such, I don’t care about other adults. I expect other adults to care about themselves. Capisce?

And besides, let’s be honest. Life is too short to worry about how other people feel. I have a decent job, my kids fill my day with laughter and my wife has a killer rack. Why stress?

ALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL that being said I want to tell you a story about what happened today.

I have a drinking problem. I drink Diet Coke like it is my JOB. I love it. I have six reasons why I love it:

1) Because
2) Because
3) Because
4) Because
5) Because
6) Because, of the wonderful things it does.

So, I’m in line at the convenience store I frequent daily and in front of me is an older gentleman. He is EASILY in his mid- to late- eighties. He points behind the counter and asked for his brand of cigarettes. The cashier puts them on the counter and asked for the gentleman’s I.D. He reached into his pocket, pulled out a wad of cash, but had (apparently) forgotten his I.D. The cashier kindly apologized, but said he wouldn’t be able to finish the transaction. The older gentleman was agitated. I spoke up and said he could use my I.D. Because I’m not a smoker, I was unaware that there is a bar code on the back of our driver’s licenses that needs to be scanned before you can purchase things like cigarettes (this tidbit of information ticked me off on a whole bunch of new levels). I was informed by the cashier that because he knew I wouldn’t be purchasing them for myself that is considered a “third party sale” and is illegal.

Now, I’m not a smoker. But because I’m conservative, I’m consistent. That whole situation was wrong, Wrong, WRONG. Should you check identification to ensure you are not selling cigarettes or alcohol to minors? YES. If someone is found buying these things for minors should they be fined or put in jail? YES. Should we practice common sense and allow a man who is clearly of age to finish an adult purchase instead of making him walk home to retrieve his identification? HELL YES.

The problem with these types of laws is it turns everyday citizens into the police. It shouldn’t be the cashier’s job to police the old man’s or my purchases.

Now I understand they are considering legislation to make it illegal to smoke in your car if you have kids with you. Again, I don’t smoke so this wouldn’t affect me at all. Smoking in the car with a kid makes you a dumbass. Being a dumbass isn’t illegal. What’s next, you can’t smoke in your house?

When did it become illegal to be an adult?

Should there be laws? Absolutely. Do I appreciate the “no smoking in public places” laws? Absolutely. Smoking laws don’t affect me. I’m not a smoker. But they’re symbolic. We have to be careful. It is a slippery slope.

In an article I read last year there were 40,000 new laws put on the books at the state level in 2012. Forty Thousand!!! An average of 800 laws per state. Are there really that many problems that we need that many laws? Is society really that outta control?

Ayn Rand once said, “There’s no way to rule innocent men. The only power government has is the power to crack down on criminals. When there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws.”

Let’s bring back common sense.

LIFEZILLA: It’s exciting President George W. Bush began his fourth term on Sunday, January 20, 2013 as the official source of all economic problems in the country.

Get Your Nose Outta My Packed Lunch!!!

Earlier this week I heard about an incident in Raeford, North Carolina. Apparently a state worker was checking lunches of elementary school students to make sure they met the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) guidelines for nutrition. This unidentified state worker conveyed to a student her lunch, packed by her mother was, according to the story, “not nutritious and did not meet U.S. Department of Agriculture guidelines…Instead, the child’s lunch of a turkey and cheese sandwich, banana, potato chips, and apple juice was allegedly replaced with school cafeteria chicken nuggets. The student also brought home a bill for the cost of the school lunch she had to eat instead.”

Let me tell you. I wasn’t born with enough middle fingers to express how I feel about this story. This is wrong on SOOOOOO many levels.

Now, to be fair, this is the other side of the story: “Assistant Superintendent Bob Barnes said the official didn’t tell the child she had to replace her lunch with chicken nuggets. Instead, they told her she had to go through the line and get some milk – per federal guidelines – and she misunderstood and replaced her entire lunch.

“I think that the child became confused about what she had to do. I think the child, instead of going over and picking up the milk, I think the child, for whatever reason, thought she had to go through the line and get a school meal which, that’s not our policy,” said Barnes.

I wasn’t there, but I have are REAAAAAALY hard time believing a kid would get, “go get some milk”, confused with, “Don’t eat that, take it home, and go eat some of those crappy chicken nuggets.” But that’s just me.

I’ll concede the child may have been confused. That still doesn’t excuse any representative from the government looking into a child’s lunch box. What I, as a parent, choose to feed my family is MY business. No one else’s. The only concern a school should have regarding food guidelines should be on the meals provided to the students from them. Period. What if the child has a food allergy? What if they required a Kosher meal? Apparently it doesn’t matter. There are federal guidelines.

Congress members Larry Kissell and Renee Elmers penned a letter to Tom Vilsack, the U.S. Agriculture Department Secretary. (Read the letter here.) In the letter they state, “This unfortunate and absolutely unnecessary event exemplifies the very definition of ‘government over reach’ and further perpetuates a growing reason of why the American people continue to hold less and less faith in our government.” They went on to say it was a waste of money and an embarrassment to North Carolina schools.

No kidding.

A few years ago I was reading “Atlas Shrugged” by Ayn Rand (a ridiculously long book, but one of the most thought provoking books I have ever read.) She said, “There’s no way to rule innocent men. The only power government has is the power to crack down on criminals. When there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws.”

I can’t think of anyone more innocent than children.

Tag Archives: Government over-reach

Smoke ‘Em if Ya Got ‘Em

Get Your Nose Outta My Packed Lunch!!!

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