Government in the Bedroom – and Everywhere Else
Left-liberals, when discussing abortion on demand, often declare: “We don’t want government in the bedroom.” While I am not arguing about abortion rights, I will point out how the left really wants government in our homes.
After we moved to Cumberland, Maryland, in 2001, a woman from the state tax assessor’s office soon walked into our house. There was no asking permission, nothing. She strolled in as though she owned the place, and I suspect she understood her powers over our family and our possessions.
Indeed, on that day we did have government in our bedrooms – and everywhere else. That was not an aberration, and the huge reach that government has over our lives and homes hardly is limited to tax assessment. The majority of us, each time we visit a bathroom, can appreciate the long reach of the state whenever we flush a toilet. Jeff Tucker tells why:
This act [the Energy Policy Act of 1992], passed during an environmentalist hysteria, mandated that all toilets sold in the United States use no more than 1.6 gallons of water per flush. This was a devastating setback in the progress of civilization. The conventional toilet in the US ranges from 3.5 gallons to 5 gallons. The new law was enforced with fines and imprisonment.
Tucker points out that in the past, toilets with more water tended to flush better, and one did not need to constantly use a plunger – or worse. These toilets, he noted:
were great cultural and civilizational achievements. In a state of nature, the problem of human waste and what to do about it is persistent. Do the wrong thing and you spread disease and misery.
Indoor plumbing since the time of the ancient world has been a sign of prosperity and human well-being. Indoor toilets that flow into a sewer have been around since 1500 B.C., but every new settlement of people in a new area presents the problem anew. In rural America, indoor toilets weren’t common until the 1930s. That today everyone assumes them to be part of life is a testament to the creative power of economic progress.
Unfortunately, government policies have made our bathrooms more unsanitary. However, why stop there? Let’s go back to the bedroom.
As governments and political, education, and media elites continue to spread “global warming” panic, one of the things we are hearing from these elites is that governments need to adopt “population controls.” For example, Canada’s Financial Post recently had a column by Diane Francis that demanded a China-style “one child” policy for the world, in the name of “sustainability,” of course.
I don’t have to give a lesson in the “birds and the bees” to tell readers how children are created, so it is no stretch to say that Francis (who has two children, by the way) is calling for, well, government in the bedroom. So much for “pro-choice” policies.
But why stop at bathrooms and bedrooms? Government sees fit to rummage through your children’s toy boxes and tell you that many of the toys are “unsafe” and must be destroyed or recalled. (For that matter, one can surmise that the toy boxes themselves most likely are “hazards” in one way or another, according to the government’s Consumer Product Safety Commission.)
Then there is the kitchen. The same government that keeps your toilets stopped up, demands the authority to snuggle up with your and your spouse under the covers, and tells your children what are and are not “acceptable” toys, also tells you how to cook and keep your kitchens “safe.” (These safety sites don’t tell you how government policies make food prices higher, forcing you to use more resources than economically necessary. Nor do they tell of the symbiotic relationship between government food regulators and the food industry.)
So, there you have it. The same people who claim they don’t want “government in the bedroom” demand that government be in your bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and elsewhere. Gee, think of what might be going on if they claimed to want government in your bedroom.
Comment by Cathy on 13 January 2010:
Those who want to know just how involved the government is in food production need only to read “Everything I Want to do is Illegal,” by Joel Salatin.
Comment by Eben on 13 January 2010:
My 11 year old toilet has difficulty flushing my solid waste without clogging. My plumber has suggested a more expensive fixture with a 3″ drain hole to the bowl rather than the minimum, more or less common,regular 1- 1/2″ drain hole. The solution of multiple flushing surely uses more water than idealized.
The installed price, $600-700 per toilet x 3 for my household would provide a great stimulus for(Joe the Plumber) and everyone else in the manufacturing chain.
The regulators never think of the consequences of their actions.
Comment by Dan G In Montana on 13 January 2010:
Enough of this statist scatology! Flush several times — its a long way to Washington D.C.!
Comment by Rob on 13 January 2010:
While I see a problem with the government’s attitude toward our possessions, I do not see a problem with the government regulating toilet and toy manufacturing. Manufacturers have made efficient toilets that only use 1.6 gallons of water, just by modifying the shape of the toilet’s plumbing. While this change might have come about through market forces alone, it is not likely because water is so “cheap”. The change from 3 gallons to 1.6 gallons is not going to hit anyone’s pocketbook unless they are operating a public restroom. Indeed, public restrooms were the first places to adopt the new toilets, and the efficient toilets still aren’t found in many homes. The problem is that without a reason to care about who the water problems will affect, people see no reason to exchange money (a rare commodity) to help alleviate a shortage of clean water (which is perceived to be an unlimited commodity).
In regards to regulating the toy industry, it’s a matter of protecting the children :-p The recall list is a list of products that have caused or been shown capable of causing physical harm. It’s in the best interest of the consumer to evaluate the potential danger as listed by the government. The government doesn’t enforce the recall list on a consumer level, do they?
Comment by Dr. Steve on 13 January 2010:
Rob, you better be careful what toys you put in a yard sale or you will find out just how big government is!
Comment by Tina Farewell on 13 January 2010:
Be sure to visit
http://www.AmendTheCPSIA.com
for some great insights into not only the toy industry, but books, bicycles, learning tools, clothing, thrift and consignment stores, cottage industries, etc.
You’ll be amazed!
Tina
Comment by greg on 14 January 2010:
Everyone has a line that shouldn’t be crossed by government. That line varies based on personal prospective but all civilized people do have a line. The example of gay marriage is perfect. “Who is the govermnernt to tell consenting adults who they can marry” is the cry from the left. Well does that mean that two – three – four adults should be allowed to get married, a mom and her 25 year old son, a dad and his adult dayghter, brother and sister, it can go on and on. Aboprtion is the other BIG – “stay out of the bedroom” cries. Where is that line? Up until the day the baby is born, how about a few days after? One government official believes that a baby isn’t human until it can be taught socialization which is months after birth. When you look at the difficult parents have with teenagers some might want to push this to age 18! (kidding, I hope).
Bottom line, is for civilization to survive a line must be drawn. If we all go on the theory that less government is better, individual responsibility is the right way; a more traditionalist interpertation of the constitution, back to a system of checks and balances and less judicial legislation, make our elected officials accountable for their thoughts and decisions, more power to the states and less federal intervetion – the elimination of our tax dollars collected by the federal government and then used to force states to comply with their rules in order to get some of it back – simple is better.
Our government is out of control and debating right now about taking over 16% of our economy through closed door deals and payoffs by taking over the health care system. Here you are worried about toilets, wait until they tell you, your child or parent that they can’t have a life saving medicine because it doesn’t fit a government plan.
The big question is, do we as Americans have the pride of our founders to put country first.
Comment by England Patriots Season tickets on 4 February 2012:
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