Running Out of Esteem

There are very few absolutes when it comes to children. But having had three of them I can say with some authority that there are a few universal truths, and that these are among them:

A. Junior High and High School can be a very tough time.
B. Self esteem is a huge issue as evidenced by recent, tragic tales of teen suicide which many schools around the country have attributed to bullying.
C. Teens - particularly girl teens - are painfully sensitive about their weight.

Would it be fair to say that someone who publicly calls a young teen "obese" could be characterized as among the cruelest of bullies? It would be hard for an honest person to disagree.

How is it then that public schools around the country can get away with doing just that? Weighing and measuring children, then sending home a "fat note" if Susie is a little too round for the State's liking?

And wait a minute . . . aren't these the very same schools that ban soccer scoring, lest the losing - (shhh) team suffer damage to their self esteem? Come to think of it, these are also the schools that have multiple valedictorians because, well, we wouldn't want anyone to feel left out, would we?

Is anyone else having a hard time reconciling the actual policies of the Left with their oft-billed traits of compassion, tolerance and kindness? I'm not seeing much compassion for people who are chubby; or tolerance for Christians who want to post scriptures in their offices; or kindness toward people who choose to smoke. In reality the far Left has become the party of force, intolerance and cruelty aimed at anyone who doesn't' embrace their dogma.

Either they care about children's self esteem, or they don't. All I know is, there's not much I can think of that would crush a child's self image more effectively than labeling them fat. Looks an awful lot like just another government policy that's sold as "For the good of the children". Huh. Where have we heard that line before? . . .

Imagine what the world would be like if society spent as much time teaching children to be good as they do teaching them to be recycling, vegetarian, Prius-driving, globally-aware, religiously neutral, politically acceptable Citizens of the State.

Whether you're Left, or Right, or Tea-bag Middle; let's all just agree to be a bit kinder and gentler with each other. Especially our children. And let us never forget that it's good children, not skinny ones, who are our best hope for the future.

Candy Bars, Cigarettes and Church

This was a full news week. But the story that stood out to me was the "Happy Meal toy ban" issue. We've been going there for a long time now - beginning with the tobacco ban and the vilification of smokers. To have the government legislate personal behavior and morality is beyond offensive. It's tyrannical.

Naturally it was only a matter of time before fast-food was targeted. The "logic" goes like this:

1. We have a huge problem in this society - childhood obesity.
2. Childhood obesity is caused by poor eating habits.
3. Poor eating habits cost us billions in health care each year, making it "everyone's" problem.
4. Since the problem affects every American, the government must do something about it.

Therefore we will legislate eating habits and "force" people to eat more healthily.

It works for smoking, too:

1. We have a huge problem in this society - heart-and lung disease.
2. Many of these illnesses are caused by smoking.
3. Smokers cost billions in health care due to smoking-related illnesses. This impacts every American.
4. Because of the cost to society the government must step in and do something about it.

Therefore we will legislate anti-smoking behavior through bans, high taxes, higher health premiums, etc. and "force" people to quit smoking.

One can go down this road with any number of things that are controlled today by our federal government; including how much water we can use in the shower, what type of light bulbs we need to use, what type of paint we must use in our homes . . . the list goes on and on and on and on.

Can it be denied that every single one of these intrusive initiatives comes from the left? I want you to imagine for a moment what the equivalent right-leaning legislation would look like. And if anyone wishes to challenge the analogy go ahead, but I think it's pretty sound. It goes like this:

1. We have a huge problem in society - crime; theft, fraud, assault, robbery, rape, murder and the like.
2. Crime is caused by immoral behavior.
3. This immoral behavior costs our country billions of dollars each year in damages, law enforcement expenses, soaring insurance costs and so on.
4. Since crime clearly impacts every single one of us, government must step in and do something about it.

Therefore we will legislate moral behavior by forcing every citizen to attend church every Sunday.

I would be the first one in line to oppose the government forcing people by threat of fine or imprisonment to attend church every Sunday. So why are obesity and smoking legislation any less egregious?

I'll go a step further. Arguably (actual not, but I'm being generous) immorality is the "disease" from which all other societal problems come. Theoretically, if every single American followed the ten commandments to a tee, healthcare costs would plummet due to the obsolescence of fraud, malpractice insurance and frivolous lawsuits. Police forces would all but disappear. Employment law would be unnecessary. Affirmative action would go away. In fact, lawyers would become extinct. *sigh*, a person can dream . . .

The argument will be: "Not everyone who was forced to attend church would actually follow the Commandments." EXACTLY RIGHT! Just as not everyone who is denied a Happy Meal will go home and eat Kashi. Government cannot legislate behavior. It not only doesn't work, whenever and wherever it's been tried it has led to more tyranny, cruelty, megalomania and mass murder than all the religions of the world combined.

Has ANYONE read our constitution lately? Our brilliant founding fathers knew that like it or not, human nature seeks power and control. They knew that unharnessed governments inevitably lead to tyranny. That's why the constitution specifically outlines what our government cannot do. It is purely a document of limits. People call Republicans the "party of No". For some reason the Republican establishment defends against that claim as if it were a bad thing. The constitution is a "document of No". Darn right we're the party of No! That should be the party tagline, loud and proud. No more micro-managing our lives. No more legislating behavior. No more choking regulations on the nation's employers. No more crippling taxes.

If you think the constitution is obsolete, that's a different debate. But as long as we are a nation of laws - beginning with those restricting our own government - we must uphold them diligently as they are the hinge upon which our freedoms depend.

I caution my friends on the left to think beyond what they want on any given day. If you give power to this government to dictate what you eat or whether you smoke, you're giving the exact same power to the next administration - who may just want you to go to church.