Self Reliance vs. Nanny State

When a tree falls on your house – do you call the local authorities to get it removed? No, you call a tree service or you get out your chainsaw and you start going to town on the tree. It’s your home, it’s your mess – you clean it up. You remain a statistic – As reported on the evening news only three trees fell in last night’s storm. –

At what point do you come in contact with the government (any government, state, federal, local)? Here’s an example: If I pick up a pizza pie for my kids down at A&G.

When you get in your car:
You’ve had to get this vehicle inspected.
You’ve had to pay for its registration.
You’ve had to qualify for a driver’s license (which many people shouldn’t be allowed to have because the test is way too easy.)You’ve had to pay a tax to purchase this vehicle.

When you get on the road to get your dinner:
The road you travel on is either a state road, county road, federal road or a local road and either government works to up keep these roads using our tax dollars.

When you buy gas so that your vehicle there is a gas tax – goes to the state and federal government.

Finally you reach A&G – and fortunately for us there is no meters (as there are in Newton) otherwise we’d have to pay for the privilege to park.

I pay for my pizza – which includes a tax because the food is prepared – and that money goes to the state government – 7%.

I’m not done yet.

Additionally, the owner of that property has to have a business license, the building and food needs to be checked – so the health department is also connected to the running of the building (which includes a host of codes and assurances just for A&G to open it’s doors – it needs to meet all of these requirements)

The local town also has their claws into the business because the owner of the property has to meet certain safety codes in order to be open (the flashing around the ovens, the number and height of the plugs, the GFI circuit on the receptacles – to name a few.)

I’m not done yet.

Now just to make that pizza – the suppliers have had to pay for all kinds of additional issues – the truckers bring the materials into the area for the owners of A&G to purchase.
Then there are the employees. The owners of A&G need to have all kinds of trainings so that they are OSHA qualified – and that their employees are looked after.
Chemicals need to be marked and labeled
All kinds phone numbers need to be attached to the paperwork describing the chemical.
Employees need benefits
And under the current legislature we now have the ability of these employees to take as much time off as needed for family issues – while they are still paid and forcing the employee to pay twice the amount of wages – which boosts the cost of my pizza pie – thank you NJ Legislature.


All of this just to make me safer. I feel so special.

I feel so special –

As I drive home, I stop at a light. Another car pulls up next to me – ‘pimped’ out to the nine’s with florescent lights and chrome everywhere. I look over as the loud music from the car penetrates my SUV. As I look over the driver gets offended because he thought I was ‘eyeballing’ him. He starts cursing at me. I try to ignore him and look forward as his Spanish verbal attacks continue. What I don’t see is the illegal hand gun he pulls out and aims at shoots at me with.