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8-4-25

Monologue:

Nanny State Jackassery!

Triple Dipper:

1. Public Broadcasting
2. Redistricting: Inside the Lines!
3. Nanny State Politics

Guests

3pm: Todd Stacy, AL Daily News

Resources

1. Public Broadcasting

https://cpb.org/pressroom/Corporation-Public-Broadcasting-Addresses-Operations-Following-Loss-Federal-Funding

https://www.today.com/today/amp/rcna222658

https://time.com/7307069/corporation-for-public-broadcasting-pbs-npr/

https://1819news.com/news/item/mendenhall-resigns-seat-from-alabama-public-television-foundation-board-in-support-of-trump-backed-rescissions

https://www.thehill.com/homenews/house/5408014-rural-stations-vulnerable-to-cpb-cuts/amp/

2. Redistricting: Inside the Lines!

https://www.lifezette.com/2025/08/supreme-court-signals-interest-in-major-voting-rights-case-that-could-reshape-house-control/

https://www.lifezette.com/2025/08/jasmine-crockett-panics-over-losing-seat-in-texas-redistricting-shake-up-watch/

https://www.axios.com/2025/08/03/texas-democrats-redistricting-republicans-trump-chicago

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-files-statement-interest-alabama-redistricting-case-opposing-request

https://alabamareflector.com/2025/07/30/federal-judges-appear-split-on-alabama-redistricting-oversight/

https://alabamareflector.com/2025/06/10/back-to-the-supreme-court-alabama-plans-3rd-appeal-in-congressional-redistricting-suit/


3. Nanny State Politics

https://commonwealthbeacon.org/opinion/nicotine-bans-are-tired-nanny-state-politics/

https://1819news.com/news/item/phil-williams-alabama-a-nanny-state

https://www.foxnews.com/world/australian-state-rolls-out-machete-disposal-bins-ahead-ban.amp

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/jeff-charles/2025/08/03/the-mccloskeys-finally-get-their-ar-15-back-after-political-prosecution-effort-n2661336

https://hotair.com/tree-hugging-sister/2025/08/01/uks-authoritarian-online-safety-act-debuts-to-raving-mad-reviews-n3805410

Rightside Way Monologue

I had one of those life moments yesterday…..Charlene and I have been weighing

some decision making, the kind that lends itself to prayer and deliberate

thinking….the kind of decisions that you make on faith, and hopefully with wise

counsel…..but yesterday afternoon I decided to reach out to my adult kids and ask

their opinions on the matter before us…..so I did, and both of them gave me

great, mature, unvarnished insights and I was immediately thankful…..but I was

thankful for not just the fact that I could ask their opinions, but that I could trust

their opinions…..how many of people can say that they would turn to their own

kids for advice and trust in the words that were spoken? It’s a blessing to be

sure…..there was a time when they were raised with Charlene and I making all of

the decisions for them…..when to eat, when to sleep, what to wear….all of the

yeses and no’s of life were decided by us as parents….and then came the days

when we could leave them to their own decision making on small things, and then

bigger things, and then responsibilities, and then setbacks and then

responsibilities again…..and then came the day when we trusted them to be out

of the house and on their own…..and I’ve said many times that God has blessed us

with kids who turned out better than us…..its okay, its actually expected, for

parents to do parenting…..to make the decisions, to hover a bit…..to raise up a

child in the way they should go in the belief that when they grow older they will

not depart from it…..that’s our role as parents…..but that is not the role of the

government….not by a stretch….government provides some essential services,

some order and protection and infrastructure…..but government should never get

over the line into what we sometimes refer to as the “nanny state”……

Be very careful….be very very careful….life is hard….and decisions are scary….but

don’t worry…..the government is here to protect you from yourself…..at least

that’s what far too many in government believe…..Ronald Reagan once famously

said that the scariest words you could ever hear were “I’m from the government

and I’m here to help”……and listen, there is a role for government….I’ve said

before that I am not so Libertarian in my leanings, or anarchist in my antipathy

toward government, that I don’t see the need for good

governance…..constitutional governance is designed to ensure life, liberty and the

pursuit of happiness…..by providing for the common defense, supporting the

general welfare, ensuring domestic tranquility……its called “essential

services”….like police and fire departments, infrastructure, sewage and water,

waste disposal…..all of that is essential…..but where we get into trouble is when

government has so much time and money on its hands that it feels it necessary to

find new ways to justify its existence……there is some nanny state jackassery in

government and they don’t know when to stop…..

There was a story out not so long ago about Majority Leader Chuck Schumer

pushing for a vote that no one called for, on a topic that no one saw coming, to fill

a need that no one has…..Schumer and his Democrat colleagues embarked on a

classic round of political Kibuki theater to pass a bill to enforce a right to

contraceptive care…..let that sink in…..never mind the economy, never mind the

southern border, never mind the US hostages being held in Gaza, the Democrats

wanted to make sure that Americans know that they can have birth control pills

and condoms whenever they darn well want them….because….maybe….people

don’t know that they can already have contraceptives whenever they want

them……because life is scary without the government getting involved to solve

the problems you didn’t know you had……so I have to ask: what did we do about

contraception before the year 2024 when Democrats held their press conference

and cast their votes?.....I’ll tell you what we did: we took personal

responsibility……but the nanny state does not thrive on your personal

responsibility…. nanny state jackassery is often times an attempt by big

government jackasses to justify their existence without which there would be a

loss of their jobs, if you believed for a second that you could make decisions

about your life without their intervention…..silly Americans…..you don’t know

how to buy birth control stuff at the drug store!…..but don’t worry we’re from the

government and we’re here to help……

That my friends is an example of the “nanny state” ……that sense by elected

officials and bureaucrats that they can operate with impunity…..because in their

own estimation they are very important……consequences are not for them,

consequences are for those silly constituents who don’t know how important

their actions are…..Nanny State jackassery……

It is that nanny state attitude that causes govt to exceed its

authority……sometimes its laughably……

Remember Mayor Bloomberg in 2012 banning large sodas in

restaurants!.....that’ll fix obesity!....The town of Fort Lee NJ has a no texting and

walking law……$85 fine…..I get it, but is that really Govt’s role?…..A few years ago

the State of TN passed a no saggy pants law……really! With penalties and

all……what?....did they make exceptions for plumbers…..Minnetonka, MN

apparently got tired of cleaning the streets……passed an ordinance banning

muddy vehicles with fines up to $2000….Maryland has statewide ordinances in

effect requiring the use of sunscreen at summer camps for kids…….sunburn

prevention is a surefire role of govt…….San Francisco grinched out in 2011 and

passed a ban on toys in McDonald’s happy meals……unless of course they met

strict nutritional guidelines……with fruits and vegetables…..really, I kid you

not……Hilton Head SC apparently had an issue with rats……passed an ordinance

banning trash in cars to keep from attracting those rascally rodents……$500 fine

or 30 days in jail……yep!......2008 CA Governor Schwarzenegger went full-on

Terminator and signed a law banning the use of transfats to fry foods in the

state……yes, you heard me…..fried food must be made healthier….but in the end

its still fried…..One of my other favorites from CA came when the law was passed

mandating that the hotel industry use fitted sheets on the bottom layer of

bedding because it was going to save back injuries from those hospital corners

……oh yeah, they also require “long handled tools” for bathroom cleaning to

prevent back injuries…….have they ever tried to put on a fitted sheet….that’s

work!

But don’t think for a second that this is just all “out there” somewhere else…..the

nanny state exists right here in red-state Alabama…..yes indeed…..

Effective Jan. 1, 2024, the Huntsville City Council approved a plan foisted upon

us by Councilman David Little that far exceeds state law. Police will issue

citations if you are seen with a phone in your hand while driving. The holding of

the phone can be the primary offense, meaning that you can drive the speed

limit, use your blinker, stop at all stop signs, and still be pulled over because

you were on the phone telling the wife that you are picking up dinner….The first

conviction is a $50 fine, the second can be up to $100, while a third within 24

months is a $150 fine and up to 10 days in jail … but if your cellphone rap sheet

keeps going you could face up to 30 days in jail!..... The Huntsville government,

in its wisdom, has presumed guilt by virtue of touching a phone. Never mind

that you were driving well at the time……Don’t worry, you can hold a coffee cup

or a book, surf the playlist on your dash, and turn your music up so loud you

can’t hear the traffic, but by God, don’t touch that phone as you cross over the

invisible line from Madison to Huntsville!.....

These are real……they are also somewhat humorous…..they are also examples of

big government jackasses getting into office and forgetting their role……Govt

should provide essential services…..govt should not become the nanny state

……babysitting your every move like a helicopter mom at a PTA bake sale……

Govt that gets so far into your personal business that it creates additional

issues…..and then blames you for the problems they created…..all while

ostensibly taking such action for the greater good…..thats a nanny state…….a

nanny state!

It is un-American insofar as our rights and freedoms are concerned……

When you see it…..tell them you don’t need a nanny thank you……you’ve got this

covered……nanny state jackassery please say hello to Rightside Ruffians…..we’ve

got this……

And that’s a wrap for the Rightside Way!

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Rightside Media was created by  Phil Williams, a former Alabama state senator, retired army Colonel, and practicing attorney.

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