The Nanny State Grows

Get ready for still higher taxes and still poorer education in our fair state. The "Take it Outside Initiative" has been unveiled by our state bureaucrats and while it is well intentioned, it is wrong headed.

The motive of the program is to get children off their couches and into the great outdoors.

Governor Baldacci stated, "Sometimes we need to lead our kids outdoors. We need to get them away from the iPod and video and text messaging and just get them out to smell the beautiful air and enjoy the beautiful resources we have."

Again I appreciate the sentiment but I resent the wording, "WE"--meaning the nanny state and the nanny's employer--we the tax payers. While it is essentially only a public relations endeavor currently, that is not its intended future.

The online report stated, "Next spring, the governor will host the Blaine House Conference on Youth and the Natural World in order to encourage cooperation between the state and organizations already working to connect young people with nature."

This is reminiscent of Hillary Clinton's, "It takes a village to raise a child" lunacy. It is NOT "We the people's" responsibility to get anyone's children off their ever-fattening bodies out from behind a computer screen and into the great outdoors. It is "Mine the parent!" It doesn't take a village to raise a child ; it takes two parents ideally and at least one with the desire to do it.

Clinton has already stated that if she is elected president she will pump billions into a national preschool. The earlier the government can get your children the better off they will be. No one knows how better to shape the mind and life of a little one like our government. They have assumed the role of parent during the school day, the have assumed the role of parent immediately after school, they have assumed the role of parent in feeding children breakfast and lunch and dinner at some schools, and now they will assume the role of parent in outdoor, weight loss and appreciation of nature. And of course there will be a price tag and oh what a price we'll pay.