Okay all you CA and non-CA residents. The do-gooders in Sacramento are again trying to legislate how you must parent your kids. As reported here (MercuryNews.com | 01/18/2007 | No-spank bill on way), the CA Assembly is about to consider a bill that would make spanking a child 3 years and younger a misdemeanor.
The bill, which is still being drafted, will be written broadly, she added, prohibiting “any striking of a child, any corporal punishment, smacking, hitting, punching, any of that.” Lieber said it would be a misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail or a fine up to $1,000, although a legal expert advising her on the proposal said first-time offenders would probably only have to attend parenting classes.
The idea that spanking a child 3 years or younger as an effective form of punishment is worthy of debate, but what bothers me is that the government is trying to dig deeper and deeper into our private lives and our cultural norms and beliefs. And what does being "written broadly" mean? That’s scary.
At least some see the idiocy in this:
The idea is encountering skepticism even before it’s been formally introduced. Beyond the debate among child psychologists — many of whom believe limited spanking can be effective — the bill is sure to face questions over how practical it is to enforce and opposition from some legislators who generally oppose what they consider “nanny government.”
“Where do you stop?” asked Assemblyman Chuck DeVore, R-Irvine, who said he personally agrees children under 3 shouldn’t be spanked but has no desire to make it the law. “At what point are we going to say we should pass a bill that every parent has to read a minimum of 30 minutes every night to their child? This is right along those same lines.”
One San Jose mother of three said she believes spanking is a poor way to discipline children, but she also wondered whether a legislative ban makes sense. Should a mom who slaps her misbehaving kid in the supermarket, she asked, be liable for a crime?
Go Chuck! He’s our Assemblyman from Irvine. He hits the nail on the head. Once a law infringes on a certain area of our lives, it opens that area up for innumerable laws in the future. This follows the same lines as the laws banning cell phone use in cars because they are distractions to drivers. Okay, but aren’t radios also a distraction to drivers? Isn’t eating a fast food meal or drinking a Coke a distraction to drivers? What about talking with your passengers? Are we to outlaw that too?
So, later in the article, we get to the real reasons behind the bill:
Lieber conceived the idea while chatting with a family friend and legal expert in children’s issues worldwide. The friend, Thomas Nazario, said that while banning spanking might seem like a radical step for the United States, more than 10 European countries already do so. Sweden was the first, in 1979.
3 strikes! She’s out of here! First Strike: Leiber is a democrat in Sacramento, CA. Say no more. Second Strike: She comes up with the idea with a "legal friend and legal expert in children’s issues worldwide". Here’s Thomas Nazario’s curriculum vitae. Oh, he’s also on the Board of Directors of the Dalai Lama Foundation. Nice. Read – ultra-liberal that wants the government to parent your children, not you the parents. Third strike: They want the US to be like all the other wonderful European countries because you know they have it all right! Sure. These are the same countries that believe euthanasia of both children born with birth defects and the elderly is a good thing.
Thankfully, there seems to be very large opposition to this (CBS 5 Poll: Majority Oppose Calif. Spanking Ban). Even in the Bay Area, the opposition is high. Maybe there will be good that comes out of this in that this issue will re-focus the attention of CA’s voters on the idiocy and lunacy that is coming from our elected officials in Sacramento.
Beware all you "back Easters"! What happens in CA will be coming your way very soon!
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