NANNY STATE
By State Representative Don Humason, Jr.
June 14, 2008
“I’m from the government. I’m here to help you.” You’ve no doubt heard this gem of sarcasm in the past.
“Big Government” is alive and well in Massachusetts. In fact, in this tight economy state government is about all that’s thriving.
From seat belts to bike helmets, from mouth guards to cell phones, government has gotten away from the business of running the state to the business of running our lives. Where does it end?
Big Brother has come a long way since 1984. Last week, the House spent several hours debating a ban on using trans fats in restaurants. The Chairman of the Public Health Committee, who is a friend of mine and a guy I like, managed to stand up before the House and say, with a straight face, that this was one of the most important public health laws we could pass.
He went on to say that a bunch of restaurants, places like Dunkin Donuts, Wendy’s, Legal Seafood, and more, had already made the choice on their own not to use trans fats in cooking. My question is why is government getting involved if the free market is already moving in the right direction on its own?
Furthermore, the law the House passed (114 to 34, I voted against it) doesn’t ban trans fats from foods you buy at grocery stores, just at restaurants. If trans fats are such a big danger that government feels it must step in to save us, shouldn’t we ban them all?
We spent as much time debating the trans fat ban as we did debating a version of Jessica’s Law, a bill that would finally impose mandatory sentences and harsher penalties on sexual predators who rape children. Ugly, sick, disgusting crimes that should be punished by the most severe criminal penalties, if you ask me. A much more important topic than regulating what we eat, wouldn’t you agree?
The state is also looking at banning ATV riding for kids under 14, even if the kid’s parents have taught the child how to operate an ATV safely and have given that kid permission to ride.
As common sense has become less common, we’ve seen the rise of the “Nanny State.” Government that knows more than you and feels compelled to tell you what to do, what not to do, how to do it, what to eat, how to live.
All of a sudden government thinks it’s the expert on everything and all the citizens are just simple morons who can’t think for themselves and need it to take care of them.
My Republican colleague, Representative Jay Barrows from Mansfield, said it best, “If the Legislature was as concerned about its bottom line as it is about your waste line, I think we would all be better off.”
I still believe in personal responsibility, common sense, and, when it comes to children, parental control, not big, nanny state government.
On a different topic, I think I can speak for all of us when I say we’re all set with temperatures in the high 90’s and all the humidity. We’ve gotten our heat wave out of the way early. Now it would be great to have a nice, easy summer. No more heat waves, no more storms. What do you think the chances are of that?
A few weeks ago I had two moose in my backyard. This week I had two bears. I’m starting to feel like Noah. They were feasting on the trash from my barrel. Time to move that bad boy into the garage for safe keeping. Not sure if they were mama and cub, brother and sister, or what. But they sure were cute (from a distance, of course).
I’d like to wish my friend Cecil Durphey of Westfield a very Happy Birthday. Cecil turns 95 next week.
Congratulations to the Westfield High School Bombers baseball team! Their impressive wins remind me of another favorite baseball team in Massachusetts. Let’s hope the Bombers can do what the Red Sox have already done twice. Good luck to the players, coaches, and parents as the team faces BC High in Lowell Saturday.
Happy Father’s Day to my dad, and all dads! Have a great week.
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Representative Don Humason and his legislative aide Sarah Latour may be reached at their Westfield District office, 64 Noble Street, Westfield, MA 01085, 568-1366.
Their Boston address is State House Room 542, Boston, MA 02133, (617) 722-2803.
Email address: Rep.DonaldHumason@Hou.state.ma.us