NannyAlert System Goes Online

It is a commonly held position that one of government's primary responsibilities is affording protection to its citizens which they cannot provide for themselves through legal means. However, in their well-intentioned quest to ensure our safety, many lawmakers cross this line by proposing (and sometimes passing) legislation which creates more restrictions on behavior which is likely best left to the discretion of citizens themselves. As a proponent of limited and efficient government, The Canadian-American is launching the NannyAlert System. The system will flag laws which are unnecessary, insult the general public's intelligence and/or are blatantly intrusive. This past week, the NannyAlert System has detected two of them.

Texas State Representative Wayne Smith (R-Baytown) has authored a bill which would provide a criminal penalty for parents who fail to attend a public school parent-teacher conference without a valid excuse. The fines collected would be used to "(1) provide additional compensation to classroom teachers in the district; or (2) purchase school supplies other than textbooks as defined by Section 31.002." While increasing funding for school teachers and school supplies is a good step for state governments to take, surely there are better ways to do this. It is well-known that clear parent-teacher communication is a key element of the educational process and periodic conferences are a key channel. However, criminalizing lapses in parenting is counter-productive and makes avoiding punishment a motivation for attending parent-teacher conferences, which should be an opportunity for a positive exchange of information. The Canadian-American trusts the wisdom of the Texas Legislature to kill this bill as soon as possible and work on more constructive ways to enhance the educational experience of students in the state.

In New York, State Senator Carl Kruger (D-Brooklyn) will introduce legislation which would impose a 100 USD fine for using handheld digital technology while crossing a street in selected major state cities. Having observed the (mis)use of digital media players, cell phones and other technology on Cornell University's high-traffic (vehicular and pedestrian) campus, Mr. Kruger's concerns are well-placed. Our "plugged-in" culture has created an oft-impenetrable bubble which blinds us to the blessings and hazards just centimeters away. Sometimes sidewalk greetings are abbreviated because individuals are engaged in a cell phone conversation or off in "the zone" while listening to their digital media players. What is dangerous is being off in that zone while crossing streets (especially intersections) and not having the common sense to turn one's head to check for vehicles in all possible directions of travel. As reasonable citizen, I look all ways while crossing a street and listening to music. Gracious, I even remove my ear-buds when I must cross a street at a blind curve so I can hear if cars are coming! The vast majority of my few close-calls have occurred when I left my player plugged in at home. While NannyAlert would have flagged highway cell-phone restrictions as well, there is a big difference between yakking at 100 km/h and doing the same at 5 km/h. It is the responsibility of parents, not the State, to instill reasonable standards of everyday conduct. This is no exception, and The Canadian-American hopes the New York State Senate will find more productive ways of improving the safety of our sidewalks and highways.

NannyAlert will continue to provide updates on unreasonable legislation, so please keep an eye on this space for additional postings. As a proud New Englander, I believe New Hampshire's motto is one to live by: "Live Free or Die!"