When I drive or ride with someone else, I wear a seatbelt. If I were a motorcyclist, I would seriously consider donning a safety helmet. I chose not to consume gray meat or black eggs that emit obnoxious smells. I have recovered from financial failure and a broken heart. I presently have a disease (Type 1 diabetes) that requires diligent monitoring and frequent adjustments. I have learned as a young boy and also as an adult to safely handle firearms. My grandpa taught me not to eat dirt, weeds and toadstools. My parents have guided me through many pitfalls of youth and have given me sound guidance for going through life. Dear Nanny State, I do not need you to protect me from my own ignorance or bullheadedness. Just do your job, Nanny, and protect our collective nation from all threats domestic and foreign. Please note, Nanny, the Constitution does NOT require you to protect me from threats that are self-imposed. Please, leave me alone.
Throughout my life I have made mistakes. Some of them were doozies and required an all-out effort to recover from them. In each case under every condition I learned something and became a better or stronger person because of it. I do not need nor do I want the government to wrap a safety net so tightly around me that I cannot fall then recover. We usually describe progress and growth as being upwardly oriented. When seeds are planted below the ground, they struggle to emerge and grow taller. We are very similar. It is often necessary for us to hit the ground before we can spring up and grow taller, wiser and smarter. When government intercedes with its various prohibitions and protections, individual learning is stunted, and the communities and societies suffer because people lose their resiliency. As the protective net becomes more dominant, the entire region or nation loses its ability to “bounce back” from defeat. A nation of fearful citizens loses its zest for risk-taking because the prospect for failure will not be considered. The protective cocoon that government weaves around people becomes an insurmountable barrier for progress.
Just as we know that giving money to a ne’er-do-well is never fulfilling or successful, providing fail-safe protection for a nation will rob its people of creativity and energy. Over protection yields lethargy. When the wolves are nipping at our heels, we respond with alacrity. If we believe there is no danger, we tend to become a little more “laid back.” We may miss numerous opportunities for self improvement because government policies provide a comfortable environment that does not reward risk taking. Besides….the over-protective attitude is ineffective. We have those government-mandated stickers on ladders telling us not to stand on the top step, yet loons and eager beavers do it anyway. In a sense the government has increased the risk by limiting the liability for the ladder manufacturers while providing an unreal sense of security for the dim-witted climbers. Ladder stickers increase the cost of the ladder, are not effective and represent another failed government protection racket.
People who are smothered by the over-protective Nanny State become timid. Timid people are always followers and never leaders. It requires boldness and passion to be a true leader that inspires others to join in a great task. Nanny State is creating a nation of cowardly wimps, and Big Government is the winner because cowardly wimps are easier to control than free-thinking, self-reliant risk takers. It follows, therefore, that Nanny State’s compassionate concern for our health and safety is actually a ruse and a scam to transfer power from the people to Big Brother. Nanny State and Big Brother work in unison to deny our liberties and steal our yearning for self determinism. Nanny and Brother are dream-stealing, initiative-robbing and power-hungry despotic thieves.
In recent times “we the people” have felt the urge to resist when Big Government abuses us and our Constitution, but Nanny State’s meddling in our everyday lives has been nearly as destructive. Nanny’s constant involvement with how we go about our daily living has transformed us into a dependency culture. While Big Brother has openly taken our liberties, Nanny State has been stealthily stealing our strength and our will. Because of Nanny’s sneaky benevolence, we have lost the means and the desire to resist Big Brother’s egregious violations. We find ourselves in positions of dissonance when we challenge government over reaching while continuing to accept government largesse and bennies. The smiling concerned face of Nanny State has co-opted too many of us, and we are hesitant to challenge Big Brother because Nanny may become angry, take her goodies and withhold them from us. This scenario is somewhat reminiscent of what ones sees when using treats to train a puppy.
“You can’t have your cake and eat it too” is a familiar statement for many of us. The relationship between Nanny State and Big Government is illustrative of the wisdom of that old saying. We cannot expect to maintain our individual liberty and sovereignty if we fawningly allow the Nanny State to usurp our personal responsibility. All or none, Patriot, either fight for total freedom….or give it all away. Big Brother MUST be defeated and Nanny State must be banished. Besides….those benefits must end eventually as we lurch toward fiscal collapse.
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