Nanny State

Britain's Lesson for Us

Theodore Dalrymple Has This [click to read] about a neighborly agreement that was mutually beneficial, harmed no one, and because of increased government is now illegal!

"Leanne Shepherd and Lucy Jarrett, both 32, are close friends. They work as police officers, but on different shifts. For a long time, they babysat for each other, an arrangement that suited them perfectly and enabled them to continue their careers. The authorities recently told them, however, that their arrangement was illegal. If they did not desist, they would face prosecution."

We've already got government nannying farming. Just ask Joel Salatan, pioneer agriculturalist, who wrote: Everything I want to Do is Illegal [click to read]. I think you get his drift.

When I was a kid I could make good money in the Summer once several farmers learned I was willing to stack hay. I don't think "minimum wage" was ever mentioned. When you got pretty good at it you'd make eighty cents an hour. The farm economy depended on a lot of family labor that was never compensated and some hired labor like us kids. That's probably illegal now too. I don't remember ever being asked my age. If you could work you got asked back for the next cutting. Eventually you'd pick up more work painting stuff and cutting out brush or mowing.

Go back and read the Laura Ingalls Wilder books again. Probably most of what they did couldn't be done in our time.

Michelle Malkin Writes [click to read] about SEIU's latest move to "expand" its "services." and follows up Here [click to read].

Slightly Related is This 'Nanny State' Post About Hamburgers [click to read]. The Nanny State is alive and well. They're after my Big Mac..