The Nanny-State In America Rant

When I hear the term “Nanny,” I conjure up an image of a very prim and proper English spinster whose job is to raise and protect the children of the wealthiest of the British upper, upper class. Our Nanny runs the household, supervises the staff, and is always the very soul of virtue and respectability. First and foremost among her awesome responsibilities is to see that absolutely no harm, physical or otherwise, befalls the offspring of the upper crust Brits in her charge. After all, the future leaders and rulers of the “Empire” must be protected at all costs regardless of the hardship and sacrifice to be endured. I’m not really sure just how close my stereotypical characterization comes to hitting the mark never having had the opportunity to experience or witness it first hand. For myself, I wouldn’t want my young ‘uns raised that way but it’s really a very personal issue and I sure as Hell don’t think I have the right to tell others how to raise and bring up their Rug Rants as long as it doesn’t interfere with me and mine. After all, I suppose the Nanny performs a service that is needed and desired by those who can afford it and do not want too much interaction with those they chose to bring into this world. Good for them, I guess.



When I hear the term “Nanny-State,” however, my reaction is vastly different and overwhelmingly negative. The Nanny-State and the Nanny-Staters do most definitely interfere with me and mine and this is simply unacceptable and not to be tolerated in any manner, shape, or form. These folks and their philosophy are reprehensible and pose a clear and present danger to all those who value freedom and independence. Those who believe in this tyranny euphemistically known as the Nanny-State represent the very antithesis of choice, free will, and personal responsibility. To a man and woman they have nothing but contempt and loathing for the American way of life. They deeply despise our traditions, institutions, and even our own history. They are authoritarian in the extreme and ardently believe that most Americans constitute nothing more than the, “little people,” who cannot think for themselves or act in their own best interests. According to them, we simply lack the intellectual prowess or acumen to make decisions for ourselves and live life as we so choose. We need to be led around by the collective nose and be told what we are to do regarding every single aspect of our lives no matter how seemingly insignificant and inconsequential. They believe in a philosophy that might be termed, “For Your Own Goodism,” and are utterly convinced that they constitute the “Enlightened Ones” who will paternalistically make all of life’s decisions for us. You see, only they are qualified to do that.



In our country, the devotees of the Nanny-State are members of an exalted Far Left niche known as the LFE(Liberal Fucking Elite). They are really nothing more than extreme Socialists and absolute statists. They believe in micromanaging every and all aspects of life in America from how it is governed right down to what each individual can and cannot eat and drink. They are “Cradle to Gravers” and will provide all of life’s necessities and desires whether we approve or not. They treat the American citizen much like an overbearing and bombastic parent treats small children. In that type of environment, they need never make decisions and never have the luxury of choice. The tyke will listen and obey or face serious consequences meted out by the adults who control his or her every action, movement, and thought. The youngsters grow up without free will and never learn to mature and take responsibility for their own actions and mistakes. They are taught that without the parent, they will never and can never succeed. They are not taught to think independently and for themselves but rather are forced into a position of complete dependency and reliance upon others for everything and anything they will ever need, have, or want. They, therefore, can never become adults in the true sense of the word but rather are forced into a type of permanent adolescence and can thus never become independent, self-reliant, and free.



This is exactly what the Nanny-Staters desire for the American citizen. They want us ever so compliant and obedient to their world view and, like children, we are to be seen but never, ever heard. A compliant, obedient population is easily controlled and managed. A docile and passive population is ever so malleable and moldable and is easily persuaded or coerced into doing the bidding of a self-proclaimed and anointed “Master” class even if it is patently harmful and inimical to its own best and self interest. The LFE, the Nanny-Staters, are creating an entire population of lemmings who will blindly rush off the cliff even if it means their own demise. They are easily swayed and led because they cannot think for themselves and make rational decisions and choices. They blindly follow no matter where they are being taken and this is exactly where those on the Far Left want our nation to go. It appears that so many more of us have come to rely on government for our every need that the very nature and character of the United States has been forever subverted and destroyed. Virtually gone are defining American characteristics like rugged individualism, providing for oneself with no outside interference or force , and a boundless optimism in the future that has driven so much of this country’s unparalleled success. American Exceptionalism has seemingly been replaced by the concept of American Mediocrity and too many of us have been taught – brainwashed – into believing that mediocre is the most we can expect or strive for. This is certainly not the America I grew up in nor is it the one I want to leave for my children and grandchildren.



How, then, is the Nanny-State defined? A web-piece entitled, “Nanny State (http://en.wikipedia.org),” explains that the term, “conveys a view that government or its policies are overprotective or interfering unduly with personal choice.” The same source also notes that according to Dictionary.com it means, “A government perceived as authoritarian, interfering, or overprotective and has also come to be associated with socialist practices of having the government basically baby the populace by being in charge, in control of, and even financing all of its needs.” Those descriptions seem an apt characterization of life in the United States in the early 21st Century because we are becoming rapidly less self-reliant and ever more dependent upon government largesse much as the masses of ancient Rome relied upon their elite for their very survival. At times, I fear that we have already walked so far down that path we many never find our way back.



The American Heritage Dictionary (www.ahdictionary.com), explains that the Nanny-State is a, “government perceived as having excessive interest in or control over the welfare of its citizens, especially in the enforcement of extensive public health and safety regulations.” Encyclopedia.com explains that the Nanny-State means, “government institutions and practices of the Welfare State collectively, perceived as overprotective, interfering, or excessively authoritarian.” Can anyone say Obamacare (see The Obamacare Rationing Rant of 4/15/12)? Can we all say massive new taxation? Huge and failed government bailouts? Unaccountable and unelected government Czars? Massive and useless government “stimulus” packages? Our sorry excuse of a leader and his cronies are nothing less than extreme anti-Capitalists, anti-American collectivists and Barry Boy Obama is our Socialist-in-Chief. Everything he has done and will continue to do comes at the expense of our liberty, our freedom, and our independence and it’s being perpetrated upon us by design, on purpose, and with tremendous malice aforethought!



As I look around and see what is happening to my country, I am ever more convinced that we are living in a real, live version of George Orwell’s famous novel, 1984. I never thought we’d ever confronted by an actual “Big Brother” bent on controlling every facet and aspect of our lives from the simplest to the most intricate and personal. Well, apparently I couldn’t have been more hopelessly wrong and naïve. This is what happens when so many of us stop vigilantly and jealously protecting and preserving our hard fought for rights and freedoms. They gradually slip away and are lost to us forever never to be regained. That’s what Nanny-Statism and the LFE are all about and that’s all they’re about! That’s all that Obama and the Boys are all about.



He and the other Socialists in our midst know full well that they can’t stage a third-world style military coup in this country so they rely on a strategy known as incrementalism. They chip away at our liberty and freedom ever so slowly – just a little bit at a time – so that we barely notice the slow erosion until one day we wake up to find that the beach is completely gone swallowed up by an unrelenting and unstoppable ocean! Alright, we say, so this mayor says I can’t have salt and that one says that we can never consume trans-fats while some other self-appointed guardian of my health insists that I can no longer smoke. These are such little things, right? Wrong! They represent a true loss of freedom and choice. They represent government micromanagement of our very existence and deciding what is and is not good for us much as the parent of a young child carefully and thoughtfully selects what the tyke can and cannot eat or drink, where he can and cannot go, and with whom he may and may not associate.



I hope we all had these kinds of concerned, responsible parents but I have news for the Socialists and Statists out there: the government makes for one damned lousy Mom or Dad and as far as I’m concerned is guilty of extreme child abuse when it gets this involved in our everyday lives! This is absolutely not what our Founding Fathers envisioned all those years ago. They foresaw a nation of free responsible adults more than capable of making their own decisions and acting in the best interests of themselves, their families, and their communities! Those folks expressly created a strictly limited government which is why the Ninth and Tenth Amendments were included in our Bill of Rights (No, you can look ‘em up if you’re so inclined). Well I gotta tell you, a government that can regulate or forbid my salt intake or force me to wear a helmet while riding a Harley or a Schwinn is by no stretch of the imagination in any way limited!



You care for a few examples of just how far the Nanny-Staters have succeeded in implementing their agenda and completely subordinating the individual to the will of those who would control and regulate our every waking – and sleeping – moment? Certainly, you got it. A piece entitled, “18 Examples of the Nanny State Gone Wild (http://theeconomiccollapseblog.com),” perfectly illustrates just how far we have moved away from the Founders’ vision of a strictly limited and nonintrusive government of, for, and by the people. The article points out, for example, that one Michael Bloomberg, New York City’s Mayor with a pronounced Napoleonic Complex, “has announced that he wants to ban all large sodas and sugary drinks in order to fight obesity.” Where the Hell does the Diminutive One get off dictating what size beverages we can consume? He seems to be reacting to the so-called problem of childhood obesity that I’ve been hearing so much about recently. Hey, Mike, here’s a news flash for you. My family’s girth is absolutely none of your damned business! I guess New York City must be doing really well if this is what the Mayor deems a top priority. Give me a freaking break and mind your friggin’ concern!!



Wait, for it becomes even more ridiculous and nonsensical. In a place called Minnetonka, Minnesota, “you can be fined up to $2,000 for having a muddy vehicle.” A muddy vehicle? In Hazelwood, Missouri, it is “against the law for little girls to sell Girl Scout cookies in front of their own homes,” while over the “past couple of years there have been quite a few instances all over the country where lemonade stands run by children have been shut down by police because the children had not acquired the proper permits.” Proper permits? Lemonade? Let’s see, here we’ve got a bunch of enterprising kids building some sort of stand, offering a perfectly legal product to folks in their neighborhood, and hopefully making a few bucks! They are learning first-hand and early about satisfying consumers, profit and loss, and the problems to be overcome when starting your own business. Can’t have that, now can we?



The article further points out that in, “many states it is now illegal to collect any rain that falls on your own property,” and that in San Juan Capistrano, California, “it is against the law to hold a home Bible study without a conditional use permit.” Hmmm, if I understand this you can’t have a bunch of folks over at your own home to discuss the Bible. You need government permission to discuss religion with like-minded friends and acquaintances? This sounds very close to Totalitarianism to me and absolutely nothing like the nation I grew up in and have come to love so much. Furthermore, in Hilton Head, South Carolina, “it is illegal to have trash in your car,” while in Louisiana, “one church was ordered to stop passing out water because it did not have the proper permit.” Additionally, “at public schools all over the United States, the lunches that little children bring from home are now inspected to make sure that they meet USDA guidelines.” I’ll tell ya, if any damned school official tried to inspect and then confiscate the lunch my mother had packed for me those folks would never have gotten over it and then they’d have to deal with my father when he got home from work. It sure as Hell wouldn’t have been pretty!



When taken as individual, isolated instances, the Nanny-State examples proffered thus far don’t seem all that ominous. When viewed collectively, however, they can only be seen as extremely menacing and freedom-destroying designed to subordinate the individual and the family to the whims of an ever increasing pernicious and pervasive Statism that will, if left unchecked, destroy this nation as envisioned by our Founders and as presently constituted. There can be no doubt about that whatsoever. The author of the piece correctly maintains that at, “at this point the nanny state has become so oppressive that it is strangling the life out of us. If you look back throughout history, the societies that have really thrived have had a very high degree of liberty and freedom. When the bureaucrats get the upper hand, it can suck the life out of any economy.” It really doesn’t take much analysis or observation to realize that the professional bean counters, pencil pushers, and paper purveyors have gained the ascendancy and they along with the LFE in America have changed for the worse what used to be properly termed the American Dream. They are rapidly turning that dream into a Hellish nightmare!



The piece correctly notes that our, “rights are being stripped away a little bit with each passing day, and we are being told that we need a permit or a license for almost everything. Many younger Americans have been living this kind of straight jacket existence for so long that they don’t even remember what real liberty and freedom are.” In fact, we “are steamrolling down the road to totalitarianism, and most Americans don’t even realize what is happening.” The piece also speaks to something that I find more than just a tad worrisome and if my fears ever come to fruition, it can mean nothing less than the destruction of the United States and everything it stands for and represents. It seems to me, that far too many of my fellow citizens are completely unaware or are not even slightly troubled by government’s intrusion into our daily lives and activities.



They seem to view this ever growing encroachment, this increasing attempt to exert more and more control over everything we do as just no big deal. Americans have always jealously and passionately defended and guarded our precious rights and freedom. It seems, however, that this is no longer the case. It appears that far too many of us have become dangerously apathetic and cannot connect the dots between an ever more powerful government and a loss of freedom and liberty. We are allowing our nation to be destroyed without even putting up a fight or voicing and objection. Apparently, we have become so fat, lazy, happy, and stupid that we don’t even recognize the dangers we face. As the piece concludes, “Sadly, there are many Americans that actually agree that the state should regulate nearly every detail of our lives. There are many Americans who actually believe that life is better when there are millions of rules that we all have to follow. There are too many of us who sincerely believe that too much liberty and freedom is a bad thing.” Finally, the author concludes that, “if we are not careful the control freaks are going to destroy this nation. They always tell us that the rules that they are imposing upon us are for our own good, but every time they lay another burden on our backs they just suck a little bit more life out of us all.”



Implementing the Nanny-State is the goal and battle plan of the Far Left in the United States and they are not at all shy about what they want. They need to smother and stifle us with so many rules and regulations that we’ll literally drown in them. The hope of the LFE is that most Americans will simply throw up their hands, give up the fight, and raise the white flag of surrender. They hope we’ll just go along to get along, stop resisting, and simply give in to the Liberal destruction of the United States. Americans, it seems to me, no longer have the will, stamina, and determination to endure a long and vicious fight. This is what they’re counting on and hoping for. They want us to become too tired and worn out to keep the battle between Liberalism and Americanism going and that we’ll just go away resigned to our fate. They want to wear us down to the point that we simply no longer have the energy to keep on defending and fighting for our precious freedoms, institutions, and way of life.



The LFE among us think in the long term and if it takes 20, 30, 50, or 100 years they’ll keep fighting to implement America’s demise until they emerge victorious. No fight is too small for them to wage and this is why we see so much of the Nanny-State being constructed at the local and community levels. When Nanny-Statism is the norm at the town and community levels, it will move in a coordinated fashion to the state and national stage. That strategy may be termed the “trickle-up” implementation of Nanny-Statism but the “trickle-down” theory works as well. If they can implement their agenda on the national level as in Obamacare then it will spread to every level of society from the top down and this is equally effective.



For example, “in the United States it is illegal to operate a train that does not have an “F” painted on the front. Apparently without that “F” we all might not know where the front of the train is.” I kid you not folks and you simply can’t make this stuff up. That’s how stupid and moronic those on the Far Left actually believe the rest of us “Little People” really are! How about this for all you damned Socialists out there? “F” You!! Additionally, I’m willing to bet that you had no idea that in, “America today it is illegal to milk your cow and sell the milk to your neighbor. If you do this, there is a good chance that federal agents will raid your home at the crack of dawn.” Furthermore, it is, “illegal to give a tour of the monuments in Washington D.C. without a license.” Let’s see, your Aunt Tilly and Uncle Jasper from Podunk, Iowa, have come to visit and you’ve planned a trip to our nation’s capitol to show them the sights. They’ve always wanted to see the Washington, Lincoln, and Jefferson Memorials and they’ve even brought their camera to record their visit. Watch it, Buddy, for you are now guilty of the heinous crime of touring without a license and there’s gonna be Hell to pay! Furthermore, “In the state of Alabama, bear wrestling is completely illegal,” while in, “Fairbanks, Alaska, it is illegal to give alcoholic beverages to a moose.” Listen, if some damned fool wants to wrestle around with a bear, that’s his own business but I’ve gotta tell ya, I’m greatly relieved at the prospect of not having to deal with the all pervasive and overwhelming societal dilemma of drunken moose! I’ll sleep better just knowing that. The author of the piece concludes that, “This is not what our Founding Fathers intended and this is not what America is supposed to be about.” Yuh think!?!



There is really only one word that sums up the total effect of the myriad rules, regulations, and laws that seem to control an ever expanding area of our everyday lives. It can be defined as no less than out-and-out and undisguised oppression. We are no longer ruled by an absolute monarch by are indeed ruled by an absolute ideology that is no less tyrannical than the potentates of yore. The breaking point for Americans back in the 1770’s was the onerous Tea Tax that was arbitrarily dictated to the colonists and about which they had no choice – or so thought the royal authorities. Come on, you all remember the rallying cry of, “No taxation without representation!” I’m sure you do. Well, I’d be willing to bet the ranch that children and young adults from elementary school right through college are completely unfamiliar with battle slogan for, sadly, it is no longer even taught. The powers that be do not want our youth to learn that at some period in our history, there was a point at which the average citizen stood up and yelled, “No, you’re not doing this to us!” There’s virtually none of that spirit of freedom and independence left in America and we seem to have become a nation of sheep eagerly waiting to be shorn. We face a tyranny today no less harsh and freedom-denying as did folks back in 1776 but it is not the fault of some foreign monarch in a far off, distant land who demands to be obeyed.



No, unfortunately it is our own fault. The people who would enslave us now and destroy our freedom and liberty are fellow Americans. They are Socialists, statists, and absolutists who are every bit as dangerous as were the old Divine Right Rulers of centuries ago. They are the main components of the LFE and are Hell-bent on destroying our rights – all of them. They will not rest until the only choice we have left is blind obedience to the whims of an elite class to which the vast majority of Americans are forever denied entrance. We are here only to do the bidding of our so-called enlightened “betters”. Anymore than that will not be tolerated, expected, or permitted by those on the Far Left. You see, those extreme Liberals have no desire to govern but rather prefer to rule with an iron fist and a hob-nailed boot! They do not believe in uniquely American institutions like separation of powers, federalism, or limited government and in fact do all they can to first weaken and then destroy them until the land of our birth is utterly unrecognizable and completely unfamiliar.



The Nanny-State and its big government proponents, of course, could not exist without a base of support. No group or ideology can succeed unless a very large percentage of the electorate is willing and eager to support its policies at the ballot box. The key to understanding how and where that support comes from is to realize that creating dependency in America is a huge priority for those of the LFE. Without a completely dependent and non-thinking constituency, advocates of the Nanny-State could never possibly succeed. Without a huge and multiplying class of dependents, Socialists like President Barry Boy could never have been elected let alone stand a damned good chance of getting re-elected. In the last four years, we’ve experienced more government interference and meddling into our lives than had ever been imagined by all other American Presidents combined. I have read that just in the year 2011, our Usurper-in-Chief created and put into place over 70,000 new rules, regulations, and restrictions that we all must obey or face the consequences. This will seem like a mere drop in the bucket once that horror show known as Obamacare is fully implemented. The monstrosity runs into thousands of pages and virtually no one in America has read it or comes even close to understanding the consequences it will have for the citizens of our soon to be once great nation. Remember, the Affordable Health Care Act has nothing whatsoever to do with the state of our health or our health care system. It is about nothing but control, power, and a tremendous loss of personal freedom and that’s all it’s about.



A piece entitled, “Government or Business (http://mjfellright.wordpress.com),” truthfully points out that if, “re-elected, the current White House occupant will continue to use class warfare as an excuse to reduce and eliminate taxes on political groups inclined to elect proponents of nanny state huge government programs.” If this trend continues, “eventually a majority of Americans will no longer pay taxes.” Right now, apparently, approximately half of the eligible population pays no taxes and there exist fewer and fewer of us out here to carry the load and provide the necessary funds to keep the country going. This can only mean that the administration, “will increase the tax burden on successful businesses and individuals.”



This is simply part and parcel of the Socialist mind-set: punish success and reward failure. It is completely ass-backwards, unproductive, and dangerous to the continued existence of the United States. As a matter of fact, “The majority of people will not care how much tax rates rise. Since they will no longer be paying taxes, higher tax rates will not affect them.” This being the case it is obvious that as, “businesses fail under the added tax burdens, more people will be laid off and require government assistance. This will create a huge underclass of Americans dependent upon government for survival who will exist under government control.” The author ominously warns that, “This is not coincidental.” This is key, folks. What’s happening to America is no mere accident or happenstance. It’s part of the Nanny-State philosophy, structure, and strategy. It is purposeful, well thought out, and planned and is being executed brilliantly and relentlessly. If the Saboteur-in-Chief is granted one more term, our nation as we have come to know and love it can’t possibly survive in any meaningful or recognizable form.



There can be no escaping that conclusion. The train wreck we are rushing toward will be like nothing America has ever witnessed or experienced including the Great Depression and two world wars. What we are heading for will make those cataclysmic events seem like a Sunday picnic in the park. The Nanny-Staters know full well what’s coming and they eagerly, passionately, work for its implementation. It matters not a whit to them that what they advocate has failed miserably every where and every time it’s been tried. They are well aware that the Socialist Nanny-State model has completely destroyed the economy and social fabric of virtually all of Western Europe but they are sure they can get it “right” in America. They are fully cognizant of the fact that as, “more people become dependent on government, fewer people are left to pay the cost. It goes deeper and is far more dangerous than that, however, because, “the socialist entitlement mentality makes more people less productive. As more and more people become less and less productive, an ever-smaller minority of productive people become responsible for shouldering the burden of a completely lopsided, unfair system.”



Not surprisingly, “when a tiny number of productive people are required to deprive themselves of the fruits of their own labor in order to finance the lives of the remaining population, where is the incentive for them to produce?” There is none. There is nothing to be gained financially, socially, or psychologically and this is where the Nanny-Staters want to take us. As more and more Americans realize that there is really no reason to work hard or take risks and start a business more and more of us they fervently hope will simply give up and become dependent upon an all-powerful, all-pervasive, and completely intrusive government. The piece concludes that, “reliance on a big nanny state makes people less responsible for themselves, less self-reliant,” which is, “the antithesis of the American way of life.” That’s where we’re presently headed if those Bastards are not thoroughly and overwhelmingly defeated!



Most of us want to leave to our children and grandchildren a better America than the one we were born into but the problem has become a definitional one. Just how does one define the term “better?” Those on the Far Left define it as restricting and limiting individual choice and freedom in favor of something vaguely termed, “the Greater Good.” They demand that the individual subordinate his own needs, wants, and desires to that entity known as the STATE. All action, ideas, and outcomes will come from the top down instead of going from the bottom up as was intended by the Founding Fathers. In their view, society’s basic and most important unit was the individual citizen for whom the government worked and served. The free individual did not work for the government or the state but rather the opposite was true. The government exists to serve the needs of the citizen and before our revolution rocked the world, that was simply unheard of. For thousands of years of human history, the individual existed solely to serve the needs of the state and the very few elites who ran it. We the people counted for nothing but existed as merely the tiniest cogs in a huge machine. Most folks today are still governed according to this philosophy and mind-set while we, in fact, remain one of the few exceptions to that rule. The Nanny-Staters of the LFE fully concur with the view that the individual counts for nothing. If individual citizens are allowed to freely act or express themselves, that can only be seen as a threat to the state’s power and control over the rest of us. This, of course, must in no way ever be tolerated.



These people want us to display nothing but obedience for that will ensure their total control over all of our activities from the smallest to the largest. How bad is it getting? Far worse than most of us could have possibly imagined. A piece entitled, “Nanny State Betrays Decline and Fall of America (www.infowars.com),” speaks directly and succinctly to that point. Writer Paul Joseph Watson explains that in New York City the, “Department of Health has slapped strict regulations on anything deemed risky recreational activities conducted by programs or organizations.” Well, that’s certainly vague enough to cover anything you can think of isn’t it? The piece notes that activities most of us grew up with are now verbotin. The growing list includes: wiffle ball, dodge ball, kick ball, freeze tag, red rover, frisbee tossing, and tug of war which have all been placed under the new Big Brother rules. Wiffle Ball? Dodge Ball? Now just try and tell me that the Nanny-Staters out there are about anything but control, conformity, and a loss of freedom and choice.



Banning such classic children’s activities as these clearly illustrates just how pervasive and intrusive government has become. They will tell you that these games are being black listed to prevent harm or injury from befalling the “children,” but that is merely a smokescreen. All of these games involve some element of risk and the Nanny-State Socialists are trying to eliminate all elements of risk-taking from our lives and instead replacing it with a government provided blanket of security that will keep us from all harm. Hey guys, I got news for you. Life itself involves risk and in the real world there’s always going to be some harm. To shield our young ones from these facts of life does them no favors and can only prevent them from growing up into reasonable, responsible adults who are not afraid of venturing out into the world and experiencing it as it actually exists!



Additionally, the activities cited above all involve elements of competition which by necessity means that there will be winners and, of course, losers. Most adults know that we can’t win all the time and therefore by definition we will occasionally lose. Again, it’s part of life and the Socialists among us simply can’t have that. They believe in a society where there are no winners and losers but rather everyone is the same. Ain’t equality great? If those Far Left Liberals can grab our kids at the earliest possible age and inculcate them with these beliefs they will develop into nothing more than mind-numbed robots marching in lock-step to do the bidding of the state. This, by the way, is nothing unusual. In ancient Sparta, for example, children were removed from the home and parental care at the tender age of seven to be raised, educated, and brainwashed by the state. By the time Sparta was done with them, they were truly obedient and loyal servants to the whims of an all-powerful and pervasive system that despised anything resembling freedom of thought, initiative, or individuality. This is exactly what happened in Communist China centuries later when the Great Leader Mao of the Little Red Book took the helm. Children were removed from parental control and turned over to the government to be raised and molded by a system that minimized the importance of the individual and severely stifled any form of free will or thought. This is exactly and precisely the goal of the Nanny-Staters and the Far Left in America today. The article further points out that age old favorites like Capture the Flag and Steal the Bacon are also forbidden in the Big Apple. Once again, we see the concepts of competition, winning and losing under assault but to introduce the ideas of Capturing and Stealing? Unthinkable and unacceptable on any level.



The article explains that this, “is all part of the process of the state replacing the parents as guardians of the children and it is designed to ensure that kids become nothing more than drug-addled, dependent slobs with no energy and no life experience, perfectly molding them to grow up as obedient, video-game playing, Clockwork Orange-style Droogs.” The writer is absolutely correct in his assessment of where our nation is headed and there are those of us out here who feel we are rapidly reaching the point of no return. The piece concludes that these, “examples barley scratch the surface of the nanny state offensive that has been launched as part of the establishment’s social engineering programs.” The author further informs us that the, “state is deliberately being extreme in its smothering takeover of society so as to shock and awe Americans into obeying without question. The move is akin to how a stallion horse is castrated and gelded in order to alter their behavior by making them more docile.” The analogy is absolutely spot-on for Americans have indeed been castrated by an increasing intrusive and absolutely out of control central government. Watson correctly insists that these, “developments represent a total power grab on behalf of the federal government as it bids to become the supreme authority over Americans from cradle to grave. This is about a complete transformation and re-engineering of society,” and warns that it, “is imperative that Americans re-assert their individuality and the right to make their own choices and live their lives as they wish by resisting every encroachment the state makes as it tramples personal freedom.”



In an article entitled, “A free ride courtesy of the Nanny State (http://silvie.com),” the ever irascible yet irrepressible Bill O’Reilly remembers that when he was young, “most everybody worked. No one was on welfare,” and in fact, “just 6 percent of Americans received welfare payments in 1962.” By contrast, now more, “than 100 million of us are getting money from the government, and that does not count Social Security and Medicare, programs workers pay into.” This is not an example of government or societal compassion but rather government control and dependence. As that giant government umbrella inexorably covers more and more of us, it is impossible to escape the conclusion that it can only mean a concomitant loss of freedom and autonomy. The individual is being rendered inconsequential and impotent while the power of the state grows exponentially. This must result in negative structural changes to the United States that can only bode ill for the future.



The author continues that what, “we are seeing is the rise of the Nanny State,” and that, “self-reliance and ambition made the United States the most powerful nation on Earth. But that ethic is now eroding fast.” In fact, “Presiding over and joyously encouraging this societal shift is the purveyor of social justice President Barack Obama.” O’Reilly correctly posits that, “We are creating a dual society: In one corner: Americans who work hard to succeed. In the other corner: Folks who want what you have.” It seems more and more that the latter group is growing rapidly while the former is dwindling away at a dizzying and fearful rate. Dependency and unproductivity are becoming ever more the norm while self-reliance and the age old can do spirit of America has morphed into let the government do it for me! What too many Americans seem not to recognize or appreciate is the fact that once government does more and more for you, it will then inevitably do more and more to you. To paraphrase Thomas Jefferson: a government that is powerful enough to give you everything you want is also powerful enough to take away everything you have!



I wonder just how long it will be before we begin hearing and seeing news stories informing us that the police power of the state will begin to monitor how our children spend their recreational time? You know – how, where, and under what conditions will our children be allowed to socialize with kids their own age? Will the Nanny-Staters actually become that invasive and intrusive? Will the parent, the child, or both be punished by the powers that be if the young ones are allowed to recreate in ways that do not meet with state approval? Will we see the creation of a Playtime Czar if the Bamster is reelected? How about a full-blown Cabinet position entitled something like the Secretary of Kiddy Entertainment and Activity? Will thousands of official guide lines, rules, and regulations be issued from the White House detailing and specifying just where, when, and how our children’s social activities can be overseen by government ministers, snoops, and spies? I know, I know, it’s just my raging paranoia bubbling and boiling over again and I might benefit from getting back on my “meds” and seriously increasing the dosage!



You think so? Pay attention. A piece entitled, “Cops Interrogate Family for Allowing Kids to Play Outside: Social Services harass mother for having free range children (www.infowars.com),” should serve as a warning shot across all of our bows. The piece informs us that a, “family has been harassed by social services and police for the egregious crime of allowing children to play outside,” and constitutes yet, “another example of how the Nanny State is running wild in America.” You may want to read that last just one more time and reconsider exactly how paranoid I really am. It appears that a Virginia mother, “was interrogated by police four times and visited by social services twice after her children were spotted playing outside unsupervised.” Oh no, not that! The parent at the very least must be sent off to an official Nanny-State Reeducation Center to have her mind made right!! Mom explained she is, “one of only two families that allows my children to play outside at all in our neighborhood (which is very safe).”



Well certainly, something must have been drastically wrong. The “offense” probably occurred at two or three in the morning and obviously the miscreants must have surreptitiously snuck out of the house unbeknownst to the parents of these aspiring juvenile delinquents. When the cops showed up at 4PM on a Saturday afternoon, her 10 year-old ran home to tell the folks that he and his siblings had been busted. The husband went out to see what the problem was and found an officer was writing a report, “stating that the children were left outside unsupervised.” Forget about the fact that the kids carry cell phones and must check in with Mom and Dad every half hour, “the mother was told by her neighbors that it just isn’t safe anymore to allow your kids to play outside.”



I guarantee you that it was the neighbors who called the police and ratted Mom out! Well, she asked the police if her children – consisting of two teens, a pre-teen, and a five year-old – had misbehaved or caused trouble? The officer responded, “No, they were very respectful kids, I just wanted to make sure they were okay because it was odd seeing them outside unsupervised.” Think about that statement for a moment. A cop was just not used to seeing children playing outside by themselves. What does that tell you about where our society has come and where it is going? The author queries, “How fundamentally warped has society become when children are not allowed to play outside in a field right next to their own house without suspicion being cast on their parents by authorities and neighbors?”



Welcome to the Nanny-State, America, and I hope to Hell you enjoy it!



Much Luv Y’all and Have a Great Day!

The Fifth Horseman

(Dr. David M. Rich, Ph.D.)