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Memories of a Family VacationLarry LaBorde Well, it has happened again. Our Louisiana legislature has just met and has once again decided to protect us from ourselves. I suppose all the good laws have already been taken like the prohibition of murder, armed robbery and rape. Since they seem to struggle forever with cutting the budget and political ethics I suppose they just can not help trying to work on something easier like telling others how to live and raise our children. G.J. Tucker said, "No man's life, liberty or property are safe while the legislature is in session." Will Rogers also said, "There's no trick to being a humorist when you have the whole government working for you." What have they done now? It seems they have criminalized smoking in the car with your children - even with the windows rolled down or in a convertible. This new law comes complete with a $500 fine for the first offense. Now I'm not a smoker but I do have children. Anytime the government tries to tell me how to raise them I tend to get a little upset. If they really wanted to help children they would get out of the education business - but that is a whole different column for another day. During my childhood I remember family vacations with both of my parents and all 4 of my brothers. Dad would pack up the family station wagon and tie everything on top of the car. He would then fold down the back seat and lay down a couple of quilts. All the boys would stretch out and nap or read comic books while he drove and my Mother tried to read the road map for him while holding my youngest brother in her lap. With 100 degree days in the summer and 7 people in the car sometimes the air conditioner just was not big enough. After a long hot day on the road, a picnic lunch, dozens of questions such as "how much longer" followed by "5 more minutes" I am sure my Father considered desperate action on more than one occasion. It was usually in the heat of the afternoon that my older brother would take off his sneakers. It was one form of cruel chemical warfare in the back of the car (polite conversation prohibits me from even mentioning the other). Sooner or later the smell would make its way to the front seat and Dad would retaliate by lighting up a cigar. I would usually complain about my older brother's smelly feet and my Dad would take pity on me and let me sit in his lap and help him steer for a while just to get away from my older brother for a few minutes. Sometimes he would even let me puff on his cigar just to hear my Mother tell him to stop that this instant. Somehow we all survived and managed to grow up. Between smoking in a car, not using seat belts, driving underage and contributing to the delinquency of a minor poor old Dad would be locked up for life under the 3 strikes and your out rule. One of the new young "militarized" policemen might just pull him over and shoot him on the side of the road today. Now before everyone writes me and tells me how terrible my parents were, let me tell you right now that they were wonderful and others can only hope to raise their children as good as they did. On the really important issues they were great parents. Maybe that is why I tend to get so upset about these types of laws. If the state can legislate minor things like smoking in the car with your children, how long before they start legislating important things like morals, character, health and education. (Well at least character.) In spite of our government's actions the family is still the basic unit of Western society and its autonomy should be respected as much as possible. The Roman concept of the paterfamilias is disappearing. His authority is being hamstrung by legislative decree of the lowest common denominator with predictable results. Anthropologists will one day look back and wonder what happened to our society. Some may postulate that we needed more rules to constrain us but the smartest amongst them will doubtlessly say that we needed fewer rules and more personal responsibility to set us free. Will Rogers said, "Income tax has made more liars out of Americans than golf." If the legislature and bureaucrats continue to pile on thousands of petty laws on top of existing laws then we shall all be criminals of the state despite our best efforts. I say fire the lot of them and hire some new ones who will mind their own business and stick to trimming the budget. Larry LaBorde 321gold Inc |
