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://www.today.com/today/amp/rcna222658
https://time.com/7307069/corporation-for-public-broadcasting-pbs-npr/
https://www.thehill.com/homenews/house/5408014-rural-stations-vulnerable-to-cpb-cuts/amp/
2. Redistricting: Inside the Lines!
https://www.axios.com/2025/08/03/texas-democrats-redistricting-republicans-trump-chicago
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
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!