Nanny State 911!

Nick Gillespie of Reason magazine was kind enought to conduct an IM interview about the book — and some other issues. The book will also be excerpted in the next edition.

In wide-ranging and engagingly written chapters, the 37-year-old Harsanyi argues that preserving life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness means giving individuals more choices in how to live, not fewer.

That feels good.

Buy smokes … lose your car

Today, Department of Revenue agents will begin targeting Tennessee motorists who are spotted buying “large quantities of cigarettes in border states” – and naturally, they will be charging them with a crime and in some instances also seizing their cars.

Critics say the new “cigarette surveillance program” amounts to the use of “police state” tactics and wrongfully interferes with interstate commerce. But state Revenue Commissioner Reagan Farr says his department is simply doing its job, enforcing a valid state law while protecting Tennessee retailers who properly pay state taxes.

Surely, with the manpower available, there are more important issues that these agents could be dealing with.  More importantly, when we laugh collectively at the ridiculous intrusions of the nanny state, let’s remember where it leads. What began as incrementally trivial intrusions can now mean losing your car or being banned from smoking in your own home.

A positive review from Booklist…

“Besieged by do-gooder legislators and activists pushing health, safety, or “family values,” Americans have been subjected to bans on everything from trans fats to cookie-scented ads in bus shelters to happy hours. Harsanyi offers a catalog of rules imposed by “Twinkie fascists” and “playground despots” who are micromanaging all manner of bad habits and immorality that threaten to remove from citizens the right to choose how they live their lives. For example, he notes that the Centers for Disease Control has evolved from an agency concerned with infectious diseases to one concerned with overeating. Conceding that one person’s idea of government intrusion is another’s idea of prudent policy, Harsanyi stakes a claim on common sense as the judge. Laws against illicit drugs and prostitution are good for the public welfare; laws against smoking outdoors are intrusive. This is not just a rant against overzealous legislators but a thoughtful look at how the government is overreaching into everyday life and how Americans are quietly going along with it. An interesting look at freedom and personal responsibility. Bush, Vanessa ”

An interview with American Spectator

Shawn Macomber at the American Spectator online was nice enough to interview me last week about Nanny State. He askes some great questions.

Sinclair Lewis’s bumper sticker friendly maxim, “When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross,” may be all the rage these days, yet from my New York City perch it seems more likely fascism will come weighed down with studies by self-congratulatory “public interest” groups and carrying a sign reading, “It’s for the children!” Few grasp this new paradigm quite as well as Denver Post columnist David Harsanyi, whose wonderful, essential new book, Nanny State: How Food Fascists, Teetotaling Do-Gooders, Priggish Moralists, and Other Boneheaded Bureaucrats Are Turning America Into a Nation of Children provides not only perhaps the authoritative account of the bipartisan conspiracy to institute a “low-grade, feel-good tyranny that has downgraded freedom to a mere annoyance,” but also one of the most stirring battle cries for a “second American Revolution” to counter it.

Huckabee: The Nanny Candidate

If you wanna read unadulterated BS from a presidential candidate, take a look at this Mike Huckabee’s interview with RealClearPolitics.

“But it certainly should mean that while government is not responsible for providing everything people want or need, it should act in a way that it does not have a heartless or a cold approach to the needs of its neediest citizens. I think that’s consistent with the history of our nation and the fact that while it’s not our responsibility to become the nanny state, I’m certainly not favorable toward that at all. I do believe that if we’re going to have an education system it ought to be effective. If we’re going to have a health-care system for the elderly, it ought to be functional. If we’re going to provide health-care for veterans, it ought to be accessible and affordable.”

I have no problem with the second half of his statement — though it sounds like a capitulation of sorts on socialized medicine. But “I’m certainly not favorable toward that at all”? What the hell is he talking about? Can you imagine what Huckabee’s idea of a paternalistic state if he views his proposed policies as an antidote to the ”Nanny State”? There has never been a candidate calling himself a conservative who has so blatantly endorsed meddling policies on personal choice – though “compassionate conservatism” came close.

A health nut, Mike Huckabee, not long ago, committed to sign a nationwide smoking ban in public places. His scaremongering nonsense on obesity includes deftly tying the War on Terror to the War on Fat: “Today we hear a lot about the war on terror, how we need to fight it. Who’s going to fight it in the future if we’re a generation so sick that we don’t have the capacity to show up for work?” His initiatives on food control in Arkansas were some of the most invasive and counterproductive in the country. Not to mention, I would be curious to see statistics that backs up the claim that citizens aren’t showing up for work because of an obesity epidemic.

At the very least, the average Republican candidate will throw conservatives some red-meat rhetoric on individual freedom and choice. At this point, I suppose, it’s the most we can hope for. But this guy can’t even get that simple script straight.

To the Washington Wire …

… you can’t digest most of it, that’s the point. You live with it for a while.

You’re 86? What do you know about nutrition?

A geriatric revolt ensues after a do-gooder coordinator of nutritional services for the Putnam county’s “Office for the Aging” – talk about an Orwellian sounding title – puts an end to the goodies that were being delivered to the William Koehler Memorial Senior Center.

Protestors – average age 86 – were peeved that there were no more “free doughnuts, pies and breads.” Officials claim they were concerned that the county was setting a bad nutritional precedent — as if the rest of Putnam County is following the lead of a senior center. When the numskull at the Office for the Aging lives as long as these folks do, hey, we should listen to what he has to say.

The picketers said they were objecting not to a lack of sweets but that they weren’t consulted about the ban.

“Lack of respect is what it’s all about,” said Joe Hajkowski, 75, a former labor union official who organized the demonstration.

He said officials had implied that seniors were gorging themselves on jelly doughnuts and were too senile to make the choice for themselves.

C. Michael Sibilia said, “I’m 86, not 8.”

Of course, the reporter digs up food fascist Michael Jacobson, executive director of the Center for Science in the Public Interest, who ridiculously claims “Senior citizens can walk down to the store and buy doughnuts. Nobody’s stopping them.”

As if it were any of his business how an adult – in this case an elderly adult — obtains their food. Then again, I guess these days it is his business.

“Fouled” Up Beyond All Recognition

I’m a big fan of Ken Burns’ chronicles of American history. So naturally I look forward to watching his new ambitious documentary about World War II, which debuts on PBS tonight across the country. When I read about the sanitizing of this historical document, I was taken back a bit.

Apparently the greatest generation also threw around a few profanities – and clearly describing the hell of war, such language should be expected. Here’s what they have to say:

• SNAFU, which is not an acronym for Situation Normal All Fouled Up.

• FUBAR, which does not stand for Fouled Up Beyond All Recognition.

• A popular vulgarity for excrement, and another for a part of the human anatomy. The words are used by a former ball-turret gunner describing what it’s like to be seriously wounded on a B-17 bombing raid over Germany.

Two four-letter words and one seven-letter word, used in passing by members of “The Greatest Generation” as they describe the most hellish war the world has known so far.

Rather than risk a $325,000 fine per word from the FCC  — if the offensive words are broadcast between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. – PBS provided two cuts of War and allowed stations to decide which one to air.

Here’s the thing, The FCC allowed the same langauge to be used in a ABC prime-time  showing of Steven Speilberg’s “Saving Private Ryan” — a masterful, but fictional, account of WW 2 — a couple of years ago. In my book, I discuss the often arbitrary nature of the FCC’s take on speech.

In any event, which red-blooded American is going to complain about PBS airing a soldier using the acronym FUBAR? Does anyone else find it ironic that a film documenting the great sacrifices of freedom will have the words of the very men who fought for it edited out?

(Cross-posted Huffington Post.)

“The Revolution That Never Was”

The Denver Post editorial page was kind enough to run an excerpt of Nanny State on its perspective page today — as was the Denver Post’s political site PoliticsWest.com.  

Celebrating the Grease

These guys are just awesome. The cartoon strip is called The Fatsquad. And the group is on tour: “Funny Cartoon Fat Guys on the Road looking for Bill$ and Broad$.” Good for them. 

“Tobacco is a poison. Quit smoking!”

I recently ran across this wonderful old Soviet poster on the blog ‘A Soviet Poster A Day’.

The poster says “Tobacco is a Poison. Quit Smoking!” The tiny information, according to the blogger, states: “Nicotine extracted from 4 cigarettes kills a rabbit, and it takes only a 100 cigarettes’ worth of nicotine to kill a horse.”

Wow, that’s almost as scary as second-hand smoke. At least, according to the CDC. (I cover the topic at length in my new book.)

As you can see, there are pictures of dead animals on the poster, so clearly it’s all true. The poster is from 1957. And one wonders, if, in the backwaters of the Soviet Union everyone knew that smoking could kill a horse, why Americans had no idea that sucking down tobacco fumes was an insalubrious habit.

Supposedly, the first time we realized that smoking was unhealthy was with the Surgeon General’s 1964 report on the matter.

The pack of cigarettes in the right upper corner is one of the major tobacco brands popular in the Soviet Union: “Kazbek”, named after the Kazbek Mountain on the Caucasus. The pack layout features distinctive horseman and the mountain’s background. This is another truly brilliant graphical work, which could easily compete with the famous “Gitanes” design… if only the tobacco was good. But it was not, as at that time rural population was smoking home-grown tobacco of an awful quality and even in the cities filters were not common until 80s. 

What’s ironic is that the Communist state controlled the production of tobacco. Almost as ironic as this country’s habit of supporting health-care initiatives for children through prohibitive taxes on smokers.

On Public Radio tomorrow

Colorado Public Radio will be running an interview with me at 10 am and 7 pm (MT) on Thursday. The show is Colorado Matters and the archive of the interview will be found here.

Tattered Cover event next week

Westword has a short piece on Nanny State and my event (Tuesday the 25th) in Denver at the LoDo Tattered Cover bookstore. If you’re in town, please come down and say hi.

Guinness World Records for stupidity

Now that the book is out I’m often asked “what is a Nanny State”? Well, Betty Perry can explain. She’s a 70-year-old great grandmother who was hauled off to jail for failing to water her lawn and resisting arrest when an officer attempted to cite her. 

Perry appeared in 4th District Court in Orem to enter her plea in a case prominent Los Angeles attorney Gloria Allred described as a gross injustice. ”Today, law enforcement in Orem has enshrined itself as the laughing stock of our country by prosecuting a 70-year-old great-grandmother for allegedly not watering her lawn,” Allred said. “This ill-conceived action ensures Orem’s law enforcement authorities first place in the [Guinness World Records] for stupidity.” 

I don’t know about first place — but clearly Orem is in the running.

More media appearances…

Wednesday, Sept. 19.
8:00 am Jerry Thomas and Craig Kopp WKRC (Cincinnati)
8:35 am John Pendleton WJGR (Jacksonville)
9:35 am Big John and Cisco WIND (Chicago)
10:20 am John Gambling Show WABC (NYC and National)
12:00 pm Thom Hartman Air America Radio Network (National)
4:00 pm Bud Hedinger Show WFLA (Orlando)

Thursday, September 20      
8:35 am  Ray Steele WBMQ  (Savannah)
10:00 am  Bill Cunningham WLW  (Cincinnati)
10:30 am  Scott Lee WRVA (Richmond)
11:06 am  The Lynn Woolley Show (Texas)
1:00 pm Travis Jackson WRBC (Maine)

The book is finally out …

Well, Nanny State’s release date is finally here.

For those interested, here’s the media schedule for the next two days — all times Eastern. I’ll be pretty busy for the next month and posting appearances.

Today, Sept. 18.
8:10 am Mancow’s Morning Madhouse (National)
9:35 am Keith and Gayle KCOL (Colorado)
10:10 am Mark Carbonero KION (Northern California)
11:04 am Armstrong & Getty KNEW, KSTE and KFI (Los Angeles)
12:00 am Mike Rosen Show KOA (Denver) – will be a guest for an hour
8:30 pm Frank Pastore Show KKLA (Los Angeles)
9:00 pm Andrea Shea-King WCCB (Orlando)

Wednesday, Sept. 19.
8:00 am Jerry Thomas and Craig Kopp WKRC (Cincinnati)
8:35 am John Pendleton WJGR (Jacksonville)
9:35 am Big John and Cisco WIND (Chicago)
10:20 am John Gambling Show WABC (NYC and National)
12:00 pm Thom Hartman Air America Radio Network (National)
4:00 pm Bud Hedinger Show WFLA (Orlando)

Quit or pay

Is this variety of coercion a byproduct of socialized medicine?

A smoker is facing years of pain after an NHS hospital refused to set his broken ankle unless he gives up cigarettes.

John Nuttall, 57, needs the operation to fix the ankle he broke in three places two years ago and which was not healed by a plaster cast.

Doctors at the Royal Cornwall Hospital in Truro have refused to operate to rebuild the ankle because they say Mr Nuttall’s heavy smoking would reduce the chance of a full recovery.

How long before we see this nonsense in the United States? Not long. One of the most frequently used arguments in favor of nannyism has been that of externalities — when the cost of bad behavior is taken on by those not directly involved. Smokers cost all of us money. As do the obese. So it’s no longer about choice. Sure, it’s prudent to go to the doctor … so you must go to the doctor.

This, naturally, leads us to the question: Where does it end? If we’re all responsible for my bad habits, why aren’t we mandating proactive measures like morning exercise and trial mix instead of Starbucks. Clearly, the more we socialize medicine the more we will collectively incur the costs of insalubrious behavior — and the more we’ll be hearing about events like the one above.

The Evil of Dora

In the New York Times today, Gary Cross, a professor of history at Pennsylvania State University, pens a confusing op-ed on the dangers of, not only outsourcing toy manufacturing, but allowing “licensed toys” (Dora, Barbie, etc…) from being introduced to kids. “Young people” just haven’t developed the critical judgment necessary to, gulp, deal with “consumerism.” Like any good nannyist, Cross uses a scare (the recent Mattel recall, in this case) to kick things off. We quickly jump to commercials.

….In the early 1970s, child advocates like Action for Children’s Television recognized that television ads for toys had a magical power over children. They tried to ban these commercials to give parents, not toy companies, control over the desires of their offspring. In 1978, Michael Pertschuk, chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, argued that ads appealing to young children were inherently “unfair.”

“Unfair”? So it’s a great life lesson for kids. Cross believes it’s time to rethink our decision to “allow” advertising and cartoon promotion of toy lines “that has produced year-round marketing and piles of plastic toys, bought and soon discarded.” Magical powers, you see, can be used for evil.

After all, we ought to be just as concerned about the impact of character licensing and toy advertising on our children’s psyche as we are on protecting them from ingesting leaded paint and magnets.

Actually I don’t even know Professor Cross, so “we” don’t have any say in my kids toy selection. My daughter’s Dora doll is hardly as dangerous as lead paint on either an emotional or physical level. The thing is, parents are already free to restrict their children from watching television and from buying licensed toys. In fact, with the technology most American children need not watch any commercials by using (Tivo) and tuning in Noggin. Do I need George Bush or Harry Reid to help? No.

Moreover, though I have no idea why a non-licensed toy would be any less harmful to children, I can, still purchase such toys at any Toys R Us. No, it’s not always easy for a parent to say no to child, but (and I’m no parenting expert) self-control and delayed gratification are both worth more to a child then another federal intrusion on parenting.

What’s next, Groucho Marx mustaches?

According to this post, Washington state may soon ban the wearing of hats and sunglasses in banks. The FBI is working with state’s legislature to make sure none of these items will be worn in banks while citizens conduct business — and no hood pulled over your head, either. Apparently, these are typicall used as disguises for bank robbers.

“Unfortunately from the camera placement we don’t have a face shot. The cameras are placed way too high and all we see is the top of the construction helmet,” said Larry Carr, FBI special agent.

Banks like Washington Mutual, the article states, already request customers to take off these items before walking in (I’ve never experienced this personally.)

Here’s the thing: I have no ideological problem with a private company requiring this sort of rule as a safety measure. As a consumer, sure, I may pick to bank with a less fascistic policy on clothing. Then again, I may be drawn to the bank as a safer venue to do business. But this speaks to the difference between annoyinf government coercion and annoying market choices. I will always pick the latter.

Well, as long as the latter exists.

Mention in The Hill

A nice early write-up by Arthur Delaney in The Hill (second item):

D.C. is a Nanny State capital

The D.C. Council holds its own among our nation’s middling fascists and petty tyrants, earning decent billing in Denver Post columnist David Harsanyi’s new book, Nanny State: How Food Fascists, Do-Gooders, Priggish Moralists, and Other Boneheaded Bureaucrats Are Turning America into a Nation of Children, due in stores Sept. 18.

Harsanyi tells Hillscape that the D.C. Council ranks “pretty high” among nannyish legislatures across the country. In other words, he says, “they’re awful.”

Nanny State is an aggregation of dozens of instances of parental policymaking across the country, always in the name of promoting the common good. Harsanyi characterizes these disparate cases — from bans on playing tag in Oregon schools to prohibitions against dancing in New York clubs — as a “concerted movement” down a slippery slope, always with pernicious consequences for civil liberties.

“When you take them one at a time, they’re sort of not very important, but when you really take all this stuff, I think it really is a movement,” he says. “It’s a movement of paternalism that both parties partake in.”

In his book, Harsanyi laments a “dramatic about-face from our traditional attitudes toward overreaching government … When exactly did we lose our right to be unhealthy, unsafe, immoral and politically incorrect?”

In the District, our forfeiture of that right is in mid-process. Just in the last year, D.C. Council members have pushed a smoking ban, a trans-fat ban, a single-beer ban, a noise ban and a fireworks ban, to name a few. The smoking ban alone is what lands the council in Nanny State.

Harsanyi lauds Republican council member Carol Schwartz for being one of “the few big-city politicians who has had the guts to challenge paternalistic encroachments of government.” Schwartz was the only council member to oppose the smoking ban. In 2005, her final act of resistance was to offer a satirical bill to prohibit alcohol in the District. When introducing it, she borrowed the language of the anti-smoking crowd:

“We all know that bartenders and wait-staff are constantly harassed by drinking customers. Bouncers are even beaten up by drunks. I care about these workers and their safety,” she said. “I’m also now looking at some other legal choices to ban — like driving or sex — for they, too, can be dangerous to your health and the health of others.”

(Schwartz quickly removed her bill, having made her point.)

One section of the book is headed “Smoking is healthier than fascism.” Harsanyi writes that he adopted the motto after seeing it on a T-shirt in a D.C. bar.