Willys cynical thought for the day;
In my web research, Declaration of Independence, etc., I have yet to find where the government says they’ll be my freaking mommy! So you goddamn politicians stay the hell out of my life and pockets AZZHOLES!
The Nanny State (I got this in a Biker email rag)
Worrying about bacteria, New Jersey banned restaurants from serving eggs sunny side up. The ban has since been lifted. Some New Jersey localities have a ban on people pumping their own gasoline. Policemen issue citations for driving without a seatbelt. By law new cars must be equipped with air bags. Federal law mandates that all new toilets flush using a paltry 1.6 gallons of water. Georgia’s governor mandates that classical music be given to all new mothers so as to aid infant IQ development. California, and others, has banned smoking in bars. Clinton wants a law passed banning smoking within 100 feet of a federal building. In parts of Ohio, children going trick-or-treating must obtain a special permit. These intrusions and more were recently revealed by television journalist John Stossel on ABC’s 20/20. The stated motivation behind this gross intrusion and criminalization of private behavior is to protect us from making unwise choices.
John Stossel asked Ricardo Martinez, head of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), why can’t people at least have air bag on/off switches. Martinez responded by saying that society makes decisions about what benefits most people, and most people benefit from air bags. Stossel interviewed Yale University’s Professor Kelley D. Brownell, director of the Center for Eating & Weight Disorders who thinks Americans eat too many hamburgers and French fries. Professor Brownell wants government to tax fatty foods and those with little nutritional content and use the proceeds to subsidize fruits, vegetables and other nutritious foods. He’s suggested that some of the tax proceeds be used to build bike and hiking trails.
I’m wondering just when Americans are going to decide that we’ve had enough government meddling in our lives. It is nobody’s business whether I eat eggs sunny side up, drive without wearing seat belts, or pig out on hamburgers and French fries. I’d like someone to show me Congress’s constitutional authority for government protecting me from making unwise choices. Those who believe government should be in the business of making us take care of ourselves, should tell us where does it all end? Should government decide what time we go to bed? After all sleep is vital to good health. Should government force us to exercise, read wholesome literature, and bathe regularly?
The people who advocate a nanny government (a better term is Nazi government) are cowards. You say, "What do you mean, William?" Take Kelley Brownell. If he doesn’t want me to eat that Big Mac and French fries, let him walk up to my table and remove them from my plate. He wants no part of doing that because he doesn’t want to meet his maker this year so he prefers using the brutal forces of government. "The rest is mine;
When I was young, bullies use to pick on me, take food off my lunch tray and otherwise harass me. That’s until I followed the advice of my father who told me that if you let a bully get away with one thing, the next day it’s going to be something else and the following day something else again. He told me that the bullying won’t stop until I decide to stand up and fight. He said that even if I lose the fight, the next time I’m bullied, stand up and fight again. Let the bully know that when he bullies, win, lose or draw, he has a fight on his hands. Eventually he will stop. I think Americans should employ my Dad’s advice. As long as we stand as lambs before the slaughter you can bet that there’ll be no end to Congress’s bureaucratic stooges bullying us.
This is still America, last I checked anyway, yes we have ‘freedom’ here but ‘freedom’ is, never was and never will be ‘Free.’ Those of us who like to eat hamburgers and greasy fries must take responsibility by a) walking around with a big butt b) doing exercise or c) (in my case) taking cholesterol lowering pills and *trying* to stay away from the greasy stuff.
If we don’t want to wear seatbelts, or helmets, WE, not Congress, must pay in pain, time (in hospitals, rehabs w/e), or loss of body parts. I’m firmly convinced I would never have survived, some of, the accidents I was in had I been hog-tied to the seat. The insurance companies, and Medical providers, ALWAYS lobby for these laws but I haven’t heard of a single case where after such a law was passed the insurance company says, "Oh with your 20 year perfect driving record (not mine) we’ve decided that your next ___ year’s insurance is on us." Has a hospital ever said, "Now that our ER doctors and nurses won’t have to be patching up all the accidents maybe we should offer breast enlargement at half price?" Now stop laughing and reread this paragraph in it, under sarcasm, is the point I’m trying to make. The answer to both is NO! And unless an insurance company or hospital administrator is reading this, and wants to prove me wrong, I don’t think it ever will be!
The ‘it’s good for you’ doesn’t stop at the things listed above. What if a slimy politician took it in his, or her, head that tattooing is wrong? Or certain subjects can’t be tattooed on anybody? Like large breasted blondes, skulls, flames, or spider webs? I hope I’m NOT giving them any ideas because I have all these. This can be taken as far as you want to go like; they pass a law that ONLY Army, Marine, Navy, Airforce w/e tattoos are kosher. Or just Democrat or Republican ink is allowed. How about the ONLY lower back, female, tattoo that will be allowed is a ‘GodSmack Sun?’ Okay tattooists stop salivating imagining how much business you’ll get by people running out to get their favorite tattoo done. And remember the upswing will only last until enforcement duties are figured out, i.e., the local Police, County cops, State Police or help us all if the FBI gets the job. Actually help them I don’t need any help!
And of course that’s not the only thing ‘good for you.’ This has been tried but what if Congress actually passed a law banning Rock & Roll, Country, Blues, Rock-a-Billy or Rap music. Or what if they legislate pianos, Violins and Trumpets are the only acceptable instruments? No electric guitars, fiddles, Blues Harps or Saxophones? And of course subsidizing lessons is another way to do, almost, the same thing!
Americans are lucky the founding fathers came from Europe where Religion – a belief in their God – was considered ‘good for you’ so it was mandated in some places; which is where ‘The First Amendment’ came from. If European governments had mandated seatbelts on cable cars and horses, and or required at least 4 oz. of meat at dinner — chicken, beef or fish — there may have been another Bill of Rights. This one saying, something like, "Congress shall make no law requiring citizens to do anything somebody thinks will be good for them." Unless, of course, any of them made, or sold, seatbelts or had anything to do with producing, or selling, meat. In 1776 that was, almost, everybody. This was long before people either ate meat or were vegetarians. In fact getting enough to eat was more important than the cholesterol!" Now a few quotes;
"The career of a politician mainly consists in making one part of the nation do what it does not want to do, in order to please and satisfy the other part of the nation. It is the prolonged sacrifice of the rights of some persons at the bidding and for the satisfaction of other persons. The ruling idea of the politician – stated rather bluntly – is that those who are opposed to him exist for the purpose of being made to serve his ends, if he can get power enough in his hands to force these ends upon them." — Auberon Herbert
"There is no worse tyranny than to force a man to pay for what he does not want merely because you think it would be good for him." — Robert Heinlein
"The most basic question is not what is best but who shall decide what is best." — Thomas Sowell
http://www.total-knowledge.com/~willyblues/
From; Willys Jokes archieves
To B D; your points was covered; like here; The insurance companies, and Medical providers, ALWAYS lobby for these laws but I haven’t heard of a single case where after such a law was passed the insurance company says, "Oh with your 20 year perfect driving record (not mine) we’ve decided that your next ___ year’s insurance is on us." Has a hospital ever said, "Now that our ER doctors and nurses won’t have to be patching up all the accidents maybe we should offer breast enlargement at half price?" Now stop laughing and reread this paragraph in it, under sarcasm, is the point I’m trying to make. The answer to both is NO! And unless an insurance company or hospital administrator is reading this, and wants to prove me wrong, I don’t think it ever will be!
I’ve had this & been posting it a while and ain’t any insurance companies trying to prove me wrong!
We the people of the United States of America, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote general welfare, and secure the blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our posterity do ordain and establish this constitution of the United States of America.
Following this preamble are the 27 ammendments to the Constituition. Nowhere in there do they mention anything about making mommy and daddy laws for your own freaking good. If I want a smoke, I have to go outside and fifteen feet away from an entrance or exit to a building. If you want to ride a motorcycle without a helmet, you better watch what state you are in. If you want to share ideas on the internet, watch your language, the yahoo police might be watching. You wouldn’t want to hurt anyones delicate feelings or dissrupt the sheltered lives they live by injecting any new ideas. You keep up the writing and great quotes. I will post answers thanking you until I get kicked offa yahoo. I might not always agree with you but D*** I love freedom of expression. Some folks would even try to limit that, ef them if they can’t take a joke.
