Common Sense vs. the Nanny State, September 2008
The City of Fort Collins raises your rates to spend more to tell you how to conserve.
Who
knew we all had “green” moms? In my house, it was called “common
sense.” Our thermostat was set in the low-60s in the winter. With
five older sisters, I learned early to take short showers. We had a
large garden. We froze and canned some vegetables in the fall. We
bought food in bulk (there were nine of us). We closed the door behind
us so we didn’t “let the heat out.” We split our own firewood and grew
some of our own Christmas trees. Heck we even made our own maple syrup
for our pancakes. Who knew that the Boucher household was the model of
“sustainability?” We thought we were “conservative.”
Today,
there is an army of bureaucrats in our nanny city to make sure that –
just in case you didn’t have a mother – you get the same sort of common
sense advice...
The DNC, A Nanny-State Disney World, August 2008
The recap of my time covering the scene at the DNC in Denver.
Remember how the food at the DNC needed to meet requirements for being local and organic? Remember how fried food was banned and that each meal had to have an appropriate amount of fruits and vegetables? (The Democrats: The Party That Tells You to Eat Your Vegetables).
Well, smack-dab in the middle of the parking lot of the Pepsi Center there was a carnival-style fast-food trailer touting “French Fries” and “Sausages” and “Hot Dogs” and “Corn Dogs”. How they got inside the security perimeter, I’ll never know, but there were about 50 people waiting in line at lunch time to get their contraband food.
The idealism ends when someone has a craving for a corn dog.
Independence Day, July 2008The more you ask from government, the more you’re willing to accept its control. Do you want government to protect your children? Here’s a bicycle helmet law. Do you want government to provide your health care? Here’s a proposed mandate from England’s National Health Service that you can’t have surgery until you lose weight. Do you want government to save the planet? Here’s a new law telling you which kind of light bulb you can buy. Do you want your government to make you healthier? Here’s your trans-fat ban. Do you want your government to protect your feelings? Here are Canada’s “Human Rights Commissions” which sit in judgment over “allowable” speech.
"Bike to Work Day!", June 2008
As I note in the column, I'm actually a closet bike-to-work guy, but the constant hectoring is just unbearable. Yes, we get it. Bicycling is good for you.
It was “Bike to Work Day!” part of “Fort Collins Bike Week,” and featured prominently in our “Bicycle-Friendly Community.” (To remind you that Fort Collins is a “Bicycle-Friendly Community,” the city has put up signs around town to tell itself what a good job it’s doing in the bicycle-friendly department.)
...
Then it rained. Not “I hope I packed a rain jacket” rain. Big, angry, thunder-and-lightning rain that makes you acutely aware that you’re cruising around on the back of a big piece of metal.
So much for “Bike to Work Day!” Mother Nature reminded new cyclists why biking to work isn’t always practical.
The Nanny City, September 2007
Perhaps my favorite Nanny State column, this one simply takes a walk through some of the rules, regulations and "advice" offered by the City of Fort Collins.
The city would like you to drive less. Take public transportation to conserve oil (Transfort). Ride your bicycle (Bicycle Plan), car pool (“Clean Air – It’s up to us”) and walk to lunch. (Air Quality.) If you do have a car, get a tune-up (”Smoking Vehicle Hotline”). Buy gas in the evening (Air Quality), but don’t top off your tank (“Stop at the Click”).
The city requires that you paint your house (Municipal Code), but don’t paint during the day and tightly cap any solvents (Air Quality). Plant a tree (“Save our Shade”), but don’t let it grow too big (Neighborhood and Building Services).
...
Perhaps most bizarre and troubling are when the city starts to sound like a nagging parent (no offense, Mom). Turn off the lights when you leave a room (“Clean Air – It’s up to us.”). Don’t use the toilet as a trash can (“Indoor Water Conservation”). Don’t urinate in public. (“The Duh Campaign”). Stay out of the sun. (“Drought and Extreme Heat Survival”). Don’t play golf in a thunderstorm. (“Thunderstorm Survival”). Stay indoors and dress warmly in a blizzard (“Winter Weather Preparedness”). Clean your house. (“Indoor Air Quality”). Get in shape. (“Clean Air – It’s up to us.”)
Here Come the Nannies, September 2006
First they came for the hookah bars in Fort Collins...
Just how far will City Council go to make sure that we, the apparently (in their minds) uninformed masses in need of their supreme guidance, quit smoking, eat healthier, and exercise more? Will they mandate that we all hit the gym for a set amount of time each week?
Here’s a newsflash: Smoking is bad for you. So are a lot of things. Our elected officials need to realize that we didn’t elect them to be our doctors. We know the risks, and yet we’re still going to eat cheeseburgers, enjoy ice cream, spend too much time on the couch and, yes, some of us might even enjoy an occasional cigar or hookah.
