Children of the Nanny State
Here's an example of how the Left is attempting to make it normal for children to grow up surrounded by intrusive government regulation. In the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, birthplace of the Constitution:
The cake, cookies and candy at the school parties you might remember will become a no-no if the state approves new nutrition guidelines.
Parent organizers would have to pick just one sweet treat per party and will be encouraged to order anything else from a menu of healthy snacks from their district's food services department.
The rules would limit the number of parties to one classroom birthday celebration a month, and no more than three holiday parties a year. They must be held after lunch.
The state could withhold or rescind state and federal reimbursements for districts that don't comply. The state could revoke approval for vending machines from offending districts.
At least it's not a federal regulation. Yet.
OK, for the record, I'm not advocating that we sugar-up our nation's children before lunch. But I hope we'd all agree that we should have the freedom to sugar-up our nation's children and the common sense not to do so.
So here's one of those nanny state solutions to a problem -- childhood obesity and poor nutrition -- that isn't likely to solve anything (is childhood obesity truly impacted by classroom birthday parties?) but instead will create layers of bureaucracy to monitor the ingestion of cupcakes on the part of first graders, who, in the Keystone state, may now be forced to celebrate their special days communally so as to limit their intake of birthday treats to a government sanctioned healthy dose of once per month.
Meanwhile, the union-controlled food service department will offer an array of healthy snacks.
In a socialist utopia, it would stink to be a kid.
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Sep '10
Re: Children of the Nanny State
Ginger Bread houses are also not allowed, because they violate EPA guidelines for radon gas emissions.
May '10
Re: Children of the Nanny State
Today's Headline: "Congress unable to agree on a national budget"
Tomorrow's Headline: "Congress unable to agree on a national diet"
The food police are coming...hide the cookies.
May '10
Re: Children of the Nanny State
In a socialist utopia, everyone's a kid.
Re: Children of the Nanny State
Touché, Aaron.
Jul '10
Re: Children of the Nanny State
Wait. Just yesterday we were pointing out the advantages of home schooling.
I have, pretty much since my own first grade ordeals, considered public schools to be serving a niche similar to the draft in WWII. Provide a universal, compulsory experience with government at its most hidebound, petty, and ineffective. I am happy to say that most of the teachers and administrators my kids have run across are very helpful and professional, some far beyond the call of duty. But the exceptions have been very outrageous.
My favorite recent one is a new middle school rule that students are not allowed to visit their lockers between classes, just before school, at lunch, and after school. Gym represents a special problem under these rules, the lockers are too small to hold school books. The school already had a reputation for massive, undaunted thievery, now students have to stack their belongings unprotected in the locker room. And every student is on blindingly clear notice of the quality of the government functionaries guiding their tender development.
You cannot make this kind of stuff up.
Edited on Nov 8, 2010 at 2:20pmAug '10
Re: Children of the Nanny State
With mom out of the home and distracted by her career, there is nothing--nothing--that can stop the growth of government.
Jul '10
Re: Children of the Nanny State
Hmm. I didn't see anything in that article about oversight. Will PA be hiring Classroom Party Auditors, or will this nonsense be on the honor system?
Oct '10
Re: Children of the Nanny State
When I home-schooled my kids we ate nothing but twinkies.
Oct '10
Re: Children of the Nanny State
Oops forgot my link:
http://www.nationalreview.com/the-feed/252777/science-twinkie-diet-helps-nutrition-professor-lose-27-pounds
Aug '10
Re: Children of the Nanny State
What's wrong with sugaring up the kids before lunch, if it's at a school party? Isn't that the kid equivalent of what we all do with booze at the office Christmas party? Do they have lampshades in classrooms?
Aug '10
Re: Children of the Nanny State
Aaron Miller
In a socialist utopia, everyone's a kid. · Nov 8 at 2:10pm
...with the exception of our parents who are elected, or appointed 'parent-czars' ... err ... "Parenczars"?
May '10
Re: Children of the Nanny State
I can see the kids fighting over the last carrot stick.
And yet we hand out Ritalin like , well - candy. Ah the over-reach of government where marijuana is a medical need, and cup-cakes are verbotten.
I remember school parties when we had hundred-and-thousands sandwiches which were bread /butter, and a liberal (in the best sense) sprinkles/jimmies of coloured sugar....
http://www.aussiefoodshop.com/i/Main%20folder2/red.jpg
I am choking on my Cocopops. (sorry Bircher museli)
Aug '10
Re: Children of the Nanny State
This is really just another method of indoctrinating children to accept as normal a government that controls every aspect of our lives. That's why the leftist takeover of education, from kindergarten to graduate schools, is so dangerous.
Nov '10
Re: Children of the Nanny State
Last year I served as the Dance Committee chairperson for our middle school's PTSA. To avoid sending home fundraising packets ad nauseum, our PTSA has traditionally held once per month dances for the students as fundraising events. At these dances we have a concession stand that serves pizza, sodas, Gatorade, bottled water, and candy. New rules instituted in our county last year required our concession stand workers to wear hair nets & gloves, set up a handwashing station in the concession stand itself (there are multiple bathrooms and the school cafeteria a few feet down the hall), and obtain a permit from the county health department for each dance of the year. Ridiculous. My small government sensibilities were highly offended.
Jun '10
Re: Children of the Nanny State
My son's elementary school (and the whole district) has already banned sweet treats for birthdays. Instead, parents can send in items such as pencils or veggies. Of course, nothing says "Happy Birthday" like a bag of baby carrots!
This seems like the top of a slippery slope: Now, they bar treats for the classroom. Next, they will tell me I can't pack oreos in his lunch. Lunch ladies will turn into lunch Nazis.
Oct '10
Re: Children of the Nanny State
That will depend on whether or not Oreos are union made.
May '10
Re: Children of the Nanny State
This is basically what it boils down to. With probably 30 seconds to a minute of hunting on my favorite search-engine, I could pinpoint the exact date that the inevitable slide into nanny-statism started.
Aug '10
Re: Children of the Nanny State
David926
This is basically what it boils down to. With probably 30 seconds to a minute of hunting on my favorite search-engine, I could pinpoint the exact date that the inevitable slide into nanny-statism started. · Nov 9 at 5:06pm
I am interested in reading more. Are you referring to a Canadian law?