Nanny State Tuesdays - Week 4

While I can agree with the sentiment, the idea of needing a law (in this case banning the wearing of pajamas in public) to do what should be the responsibility of parents, or at most a new policy put out by the school board, bugs the heck out of me. I also agree with the author of the article when he mentions that most pajamas are a heckuva lot better than mini-skirts and too-small tank tops.


Next up is not a new law, but one that has apparently been in place for years. Did you know that it is illegal to purchase a soda from a school vending machine during lunch? You can buy one before lunch and consume it during lunch, but the school is not allowed to sell them during the actual meal. What kind of silly bull is this? This kind of convoluted crud is why I keep saying we need to have people constantly reviewing laws and regulations, and not passing ones with stupid requirements like this. Davis High School in Salt Lake City was fined $15,000 for not complying with that nonsense.


Reasons I hate homeowner's associations? Here's one about a neighborhood in Denver that is try to ban sidewalk chalk drawings. Yes, seriously. There are actually people in that neighborhood that have a problem with children drawing things on the sidewalk with chalk. How many of us remember doing that as kids? Apparently these idiots would rather have their kids inside playing video games rather than outside using their imagination. If it was offensive I could understand it, but this is just nuts.


If anyone ever wanted proof that governments want their people stupid and unquestioning, this is a good example. A school in Britain called the cops to forceably remove a student from the library because he was so obsessed with studying that he wouldn't go home. Seriously? If he's there studying, and does so on a regular basis like that, why force him to leave? He's obviously not going to do any harm to the rest of the premises, and most schools these days have at least one night security guard that can lock the doors after he leaves (never understood the idea of sneaking back into school at night myself). The kid wasn't hurting anybody by being there. Much rather have a kid that wants to study than have to force them to do so, rather than having to make sure they get home because they're out at a party all night (my dad remembers how much of a pain my sister and I were at that age).

So, apparently it's been illegal to wear a swimsuit on the boardwalk in Asbury Park, NJ for a long time. They just haven't been enforcing it for 40 years. Oh no, not swimsuits on a boardwalk right on the beach! If the locals and businesses don't care, it's obviously an unnecessary law.