On 6/13/2015 at 10:06 AM, Yarome said:

Unfortunately, the law will have to govern until they start requiring oral and written exams in order to obtain a license to procreate.

And that is the bottom line. Riding in a towable or truck camper is tempting fate IMO. I often wonder about the intelligence and common sense of legislators. Even most motorhomes only have a protective cage around the front seats.

  On 7/10/2015 at 11:13 AM, RayIN said:

And that is the bottom line. Riding in a towable or truck camper is tempting fate IMO. I often wonder about the intelligence and common sense of legislators. Even most motorhomes only have a protective cage around the front seats.

Ray.. Ummm.. did you just say "intelligence", "common sense" and "legislators" in the same sentence??

You need to get out of the house and go camping more! I think the city air is starting to mess with your mind, brother.

Isn't it all about freedom of choice than relative social standards? When I was a kid, placing your children in the back seat of a car without any restraints was normal and socially acceptable. If you were lucky enough to have lap type seatbelts, an extra cautious parent may have told them to buckle-up. But it was the unquestioned right of the parent to decide. There was no policeman going to write you a ticket if you chose differently.Today you would be ticketed or even go to jail for that same behavior. Right or wrong, the state has intervened and removed this decision from the parent, valuing minimizing what was once acceptable childhood risks over parental freedom of choice. Why was it OK then, but not now? The same knee jerk reaction occurred with corporal punishment of children. Even gentile spankings ( a brief swat to the butt) have turned into child abuse, especially if done in public. Now I hear that certain communities prohibit children from playing outside unsupervised - the state will even abduct the children from their parents to "protect them" as if the state has a right to do so, unless it can be proven that someone is actually harming them, not just the perceived risk of harm above a certain threshold. Weighing a risk/benefit to children is quite different than child abuse. All we did when I was a kid was play outside unsupervised, yet we all survived! I think the state won't stop exceeding its authority until they exert complete and total control over our lives, removing our children from us and raising under the supervision and propaganda of the all knowing state who can surely indoctrinate raise them better than we can. I can understand this behavior in Russia, Cuba or Communist China, but in America? It's sad to see, but I guess I'm an anachronism for I value freedom over life.

Chip

  On 7/10/2015 at 8:45 PM, sushidog said:

Isn't it all about freedom of choice than relative social standards? When I was a kid, placing your children in the back seat of a car without any restraints was normal and socially acceptable. If you were lucky enough to have lap type seatbelts, an extra cautious parent may have told them to buckle-up. But it was the unquestioned right of the parent to decide. There was no policeman going to write you a ticket if you chose differently.Today you would be ticketed or even go to jail for that same behavior. Right or wrong, the state has intervened and removed this decision from the parent, valuing minimizing what was once acceptable childhood risks over parental freedom of choice. Why was it OK then, but not now? The same knee jerk reaction occurred with corporal punishment of children. Even gentile spankings ( a brief swat to the butt) have turned into child abuse, especially if done in public. Now I hear that certain communities prohibit children from playing outside unsupervised - the state will even abduct the children from their parents to "protect them" as if the state has a right to do so, unless it can be proven that someone is actually harming them, not just the perceived risk of harm above a certain threshold. Weighing a risk/benefit to children is quite different than child abuse. All we did when I was a kid was play outside unsupervised, yet we all survived! I think the state won't stop exceeding its authority until they exert complete and total control over our lives, removing our children from us and raising under the supervision and propaganda of the all knowing state who can surely indoctrinate raise them better than we can. I can understand this behavior in Russia, Cuba or Communist China, but in America? It's sad to see, but I guess I'm an anachronism for I value freedom over life.

 

Chip

I agree that the government has overstepped it's responsibility to protect our young. However, it's not as simple or as cut and dry as you put it.

Surely, you agree that no parent has the right to submit their children to slavery, working in factories or other venues. Surely, you agree that no parent has the right to sexually use and abuse their children. So, you probably agree that we as a nation have the right to step in and protect your children from you. The debate is where to draw the line.

I personally believe that we have gone too far, but that's just a personal opinion. Everyone else in this country is entitled to their opinion. Obviously, the majority disagrees with you and me.

When I was a kid I rode my bike without a helmet. And I survived! I even put chewing gum cards in the spokes and once in a while .oh the horrer....I took both hands off the bars!!

All of this maybe the result of a generation of us that permitted the lame head officials in OUR government to think for us. Dim lights know better. Or, that is that what we permitted. Perhaps it is time STOP most of this foolish behavior. You can stop much of this behavior by CUTTING OFF THE MONEY!

Safe Travels!