NY Nanny State Update: Ban Machetes...

Kitchen knives will be next.

Via NYDN:

The sale of machetes should be outlawed after several recent attacks, a Queens pol said Wednesday.
State Sen. Tony Avella plans to introduce a bill to ban the possession of the scary blades in New York.
“The fact that anyone can easily purchase this potentially lethal tool is just crazy,” he said.
Smaller knives such as switchblades and gravity knives are already banned and listed as deadly weapons under state law, but machetes are considered the same as butcher knives.

Police stop teens from shoveling snow in New Jersey because they don't have a permit from the local government

Image here.

The permit cost $450 for 180 days...

Via Watchdog

When a major snowstorm hit the east coast two weeks ago, two entrepreneurial teens in New Jersey were ready.
Until they ran directly into a real force of nature: government nannies.
Matt Molinari and Eric Schnepf, both 18-year-olds from Bound Brook, N.J., were going door-to-door in their neighborhood Jan. 27, handing out homemade flyers that offered snow-shoveling services. School had already been canceled for the next day, when a winter storm was expected to bury their portion of the Garden State under several inches of cold white powder.
But their offer of a free exchange of services for cash caught the attention of the local police force.
According to local news reports, the cops told the kids they weren’t allowed to solicit business by going door-to-door without a permit from the local government.[…]

War on fun: Some cities banning sledding over liability issues...

David Shankbone

We need to ban trial lawyers, not sledding. 

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — As anyone who has grown up around snow knows, part of the fun of sledding is the risk of soaring off a jump or careening around a tree.
But faced with the potential bill from sledding injuries, some cities have opted to close hills rather than risk large liability claims.
No one tracks how many cities have banned or limited sledding, but the list grows every year. One of the latest is in Dubuque, Iowa, where the City Council is moving ahead with a plan to ban sledding in all but two of its 50 parks.
"We have all kinds of parks that have hills on them," said Marie Ware, Dubuque's leisure services manager. "We can't manage the risk at all of those places."

Nanny State Alert: States Using E-Z Pass Lanes to Monitor Driver's Speed...

Speeding in the E-Z Pass lane may get your E-Z Pass suspended.

Warning to motorists: Don't speed in the toll lanes. E-Z Pass is watching.
Several states, including New York, Maryland and Pennsylvania, say they monitor speeds through the fast pass toll lanes and will suspend your E-Z Pass for multiple speeding violations.
In all, five of the 15 E-Z Pass states have some kind of rules on the books for breaking the speed limit in the convenience lanes.
"You can lose your E-Z Pass privileges if you speed through E-Z Pass lanes," says Dan Weiller, director of communications for the New York State Thruway Authority. "You get a couple of warnings. We don't have the power to give a ticket, but we do have to power to revoke your E-Z Pass, which we will."
He and tolling officials in several other states say the issue is the safety of human toll collectors. "At most toll barriers, we have a mix of E-Z Pass lanes and standard toll lanes," Weiller says.

Nanny Stater wants to ban Happy Meal toys in NY...

It's time for the government to mind it's own business, not ours.

Via AFP:

A New York city councilman wants to ban toys in fast-food restaurant kid meals that do not meet strict dietary guidelines.
Democrat Ben Kallos introduced a bill Thursday that would ban the toys from a child’s meal if the food serving contains more than 500 calories and more than 600 milligrams of sodium.
The measure would also encourage including one half-cup of fruit or vegetables, or a serving of whole-grain products.
Under the proposal, violators would be fined between $200 and $500 for their first offense, no more than $1,000 for the second violation, and up to $2,500 for subsequent violations.
Former mayor Michael Bloomberg famously failed in his 2012 attempt to limit the size of giant sodas, so prospects are slim for Kallos’s measure.

Unlikely: Michelle Obama claims, “No one really cares what you had for lunch.”

What's up with being the school lunch food Nazi lady then?

Via Mediaite:

First lady Michelle Obama said something Wednesday school children across the U.S. might have thought they’d never hear: “No one really cares what you had for lunch.”
Obama made the remark during a White House event Wednesday in which she appeared with former first lady Laura Bush to discuss women empowerment around the world.
Obama said the subject can be an ongoing conversation through social media. “I tease my kids,” she said as an aside. “I tell them I want them to use Instagram to take a picture of something really important rather than their food… I mean, no one really cares what you had for lunch.”
Keep on reading…

Nanny State Alert: Pennsylvania DoA cracks down on seed libraries...

 The Seed Library of Los Angeles

It's good to know we are being protected from free seeds.... (snark)


Via The Sentinel: 

The commissioners were equally flabbergasted by the change of events, as well as with how the agriculture department handled the investigation — sending a high-ranking official and lawyers to a meeting with the library.
Darr explained that the Seed Act primarily focuses on the selling of seeds — which the library was not doing — but there is also a concern about seeds that may be mislabeled (purposefully or accidentally), the growth of invasive plant species, cross-pollination and poisonous plants.
The department told the library it could not have the seed library unless its staff tested each seed packet for germination and other information. Darr said that was clearly not something staff could handle.
“This is not our core mission,” she said. “We thought we were doing a good thing in helping the Cumberland County Commission for Women (who requested the idea and the library’s participation).”
Darr said she believes the library system’s proximity to Harrisburg, as well as media coverage of the seed library, prompted the Department of Agriculture to act in this case.
She said the department indicated to her that it would continue to crack down on seed libraries that have established themselves in the state. Keep on reading...

Nanny State Alert: Connecticut lawmakers considering banning whole milk or 2 percent milk at day care centers...

When did the people in government become smarter about our lives than us?  

WASHINGTON –  Milk — it does a body bad?
Some Connecticut lawmakers seem to think so. The state legislature is considering a bill that would ban day care centers from serving whole milk or 2 percent milk to children.
The move, according to the bill’s sponsors, is aimed at curbing childhood obesity — but opponents say the information is outdated.
While the American Academy of Pediatrics put out a 2008 recommendation that children switch to low-fat milk after the age of 2 because they don’t need the fat content, others argue that the fat isn’t the dietary demon some claim.
Greg Miller, executive vice president of the National Dairy Council, says new research shows that dairy fat isn’t as harmful to someone’s health as once thought.
Miller argues that consumption of milk and milk products — regardless of fat level — is associated with lower blood pressure and a reduced risk of Type 2 diabetes.

USDA kills school lunch control program

This program was pushed by food Nazi Michelle Obama. It didn't work. You can't make school children eat what you want. They just started bringing their lunches.

Via NPR:

Why? Because in some cases, schools had to limit healthy foods — such as sandwiches served on whole-grain bread or salads topped with grilled chicken — due to restrictions the U.S. Department of Agriculture set on the amount of grains and protein that could be served at meal-time. …
The USDA temporarily lifted the restrictions following many complaints. And, now, according to a new announced this week, the change will be made permanent.
The School Nutrition Association, a group made up of school food directors, is applauding the decision. The group says the overly restrictive limits on grains and protein worked against them.
For instance, some schools could not offer daily sandwich selections because the two slices of bread exceeded weekly grain limits. And in some cases, salads topped with low-fat cheese or other sources of lean protein exceeded protein limits.

Nanny State Alert: Boston bans smoking in public parks...

This ban includes "lighted or vaporized" substances. I guess that means e-cigarettes are illegal too.

(AP) Boston has banned smoking in city-run parks, joining a growing list of American cities to do so.

The Boston Parks and Recreation Commission on Monday approved a ban covering the 251 parks, squares, cemeteries and other spaces run by the Parks and Recreation Department, including Boston Common, the Public Garden and Franklin Park. No one spoke in opposition to the ban.

The ban takes effect immediately and applies to tobacco, marijuana and other "lighted or vaporized" substances. Violators face a $250 fine.

The City Council approved the measure last month.

The next nanny state target in NY is horse-drawn carriages

Apparently, making a horse pull a carriage is inhumane or something.  After the horses aren't needed anymore, they can be legally turned into horseburger. That will be so much more humane.

Via NYDN:

Mayor-elect Bill de Blasio vowed to act quickly to abolish horse-drawn carriages in the city.
“We are going to get rid of the horse carriages. Period,” de Blasio said in response to a question at his press conference announcing his schools chancellor pick Monday.
“It’s over,” he said.
De Blasio said he would work with existing drivers to set them up with alternative vehicles to ferry tourists around Central Park.
De Blasio and advocacy groups who support him say it’s inhumane to make the horses work the dangerous city streets, but drivers insist their horses are well cared for and there’s no reason to end the industry.

Obamacare is going to raise your snack prices in 2014...

Obamacare is bringing the nanny state to vending machines...

Office workers in search of snacks will be counting calories along with their change under new labeling regulations for vending machines included in President Barack Obama's health care overhaul law.

Requiring calorie information to be displayed on roughly 5 million vending machines nationwide will help consumers make healthier choices, says the Food and Drug Administration, which is expected to release final rules early next year. It estimates the cost to the vending machine industry at $25.8 million initially and $24 million per year after that, but says if just .02 percent of obese adults ate 100 fewer calories a week, the savings to the health care system would be at least that great.

The rules will apply to about 10,800 companies that operate 20 or more machines...

Nanny State Alert: San Fransisco bans wood burning for Christmas...

So much for roasting chestnuts over an open fire...

Via Fox News:

Sorry, San Francisco. No chestnuts on an open fire this Christmas Eve.
Bay Area officials have banned residents from burning wood, indoors and outdoors, on Tuesday — and might extend the ban into Christmas Day — as part of an air quality initiative.
The order came from a governmental body called the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. It issued a “Winter Spare the Air Alert,” which prohibits people from burning wood, manufactured logs or “any other solid fuels” in fireplaces and outdoor fire pits.
According to KTVU, air quality officials said pollution was expected to hit unhealthy levels amid a high-pressure system.
“We want everyone to enjoy their holiday this week, but unfortunately, weather conditions are causing unhealthy, muddy air again,” said Jack Broadbent, executive officer of the air quality district, according to KTVU.
Keep on reading…

Poll: Americans growing tired of the nanny state...

Mayor Bloomberg hardest hit...

Via Daily Caller:

Americans want the government to stop acting like their mother.
According to a Reason-Rupe poll, Americans do not want government to ban trans-fats, e-cigarettes, online poker, violent video games or genetic testing kits.
Many Americans are becoming frustrated with the government’s growing involvement in what they believe should be their personal decisions.
For one, they do not want the government to be their personal nutritionist. The poll found that 71 percent of Americans oppose the Food and Drug Administration’s proposed trans-fats ban. Only 24 percent of Americans would support measures to outlaw the additive.
The FDA also mandated that the genetic testing company 23andMe halt production of its DNA testing kits. The agency says the company has not gone through the testing required by the Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938.
Keep on reading…

Nanny State Alert: Bloomberg wants to regulate e-cigs into extinction

Who elected Bloomberg God? Doesn't he understand the concept of liberty and free will?

Via Daily Mail

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s crusade to rid the City of all things unhealthy has taken aim at various fattening foods and harmful products like cigarettes and trans fats. He even once tried – and failed – to ban large containers of soda within New York’s five boroughs.

But Bloomberg’s now gone a step further – not only does hizzonor not want you to smoke cigarettes, he doesn’t want you smoke fake cigarettes, either.  
Recently leaked drafts of three tobacco-related bills that are expected to be introduced into the City Council indicate that Bloomberg’s planning to regulate e-cigs into extinction.
Keep on reading…

Bloomberg's Big Gulp ban faces another legal setback...

The dumbest idea a politician ever had has faced another, and hopefully, final legal setback. A state appeals court has upheld the ruling striking down the law.

Via Reuters:

New York City’s plan to ban large sugary drinks from restaurants and other eateries was an illegal overreach of executive power, a state appeals court ruled on Tuesday, upholding a lower court decision in March that struck down the law.

The law, which would have prohibited those businesses from selling sodas and other sugary beverages larger than 16 ounces, “violated the state principle of separation of powers,” the First Department of the state Supreme Court’s Appellate Division said in a unanimous decision.

Kindergartener brings tiny (2 inch) LEGO gun on school bus, gets detention...

As crazy as many school districts are, he is lucky he wasn't tased and hauled off to jail...

Via The Daily Mail:

A 6-year-old kindergartner sparked an uproar at his Massachusetts school when he was spotted brandishing a tiny plastic Lego gun on the school bus last week.

Mieke Crane, the child's mother, insists that officials at Old Mill Pond Elementary School in Palmer overreacted when another student saw the toy, which is slightly bigger than a quarter, and alerted the driver Friday.

'She [driver] said he caused quite a disturbance on the bus and that the children were traumatized,' Crane told the local station WGGB. 

In the aftermath of the incident, the school sent a letter home to parents explaining what happened and stressing that there was no actual firearm aboard the bus, and that the students were never in any danger.

The missive was accompanied by a photo of the black toy gun showing its actual diminutive size.
Crane's son has been forced to write a letter of apology to the bus driver. He was also given detention Tuesday and could be temporary stripped off his busing privileges.

Read more here...

Nanny Stater Bloomberg takes on sidewalk cafes...

I am beginning to think Bloomberg is insane...

Via NY Post:

The city Department of Consumer Affairs has served notice to 17 popular restaurants that this will be their last season to offer sidewalk cafes — unless they can prove that they comply with zoning regulations.

In some cases, the eateries have been serving street-side customers for more than two decades.

“Please be advised you have 100 business days from and including May 1 to complete one of the following options,” the agency notified owners on April 29.

The options include a “certified land survey” to show they’re operating on private property, filing for a zoning exemption or simply surrendering their permits.

“I don’t know what to do,” said Chel Seng, owner of Sushi Choshi on Irving Place, yesterday.

“It will affect us. It’s very busy in the summer. It’s a main reason people come — to sit outside.”

Other eateries that received the jolting notice include Sant Ambroeus and Friend of the Farmer on Irving Place.

“The owners are panicked,” said Joseph Levey, whose law firm, Helbraun, Levey & Odonoghue, reps hundreds of city eateries. He warned that many could go under.
And diners were not happy about the latest Bloomberg administration crackdown.

“That’s ridiculous. That would take away the cultural image of the West Village,” said Jane Lowe, who was dining outside at Sant Ambroeus with her parents.

Nanny State Alert: California wants to ban campfires at the beach

Why does anyone who is not a flaming liberal still live in California?

Via The Washington Times:

“Since man first rubbed a pair of sticks together to make a fire, we’ve gathered around a campfire to cook food, enjoy good company and bask in the warmth of the glowing embers. Now the green spoilsports in Southern California want to take that all way, sending beach ring fire pits the way of the caveman. 

The South Coast Air Quality Management District will decide this summer whether to order the removal of 850 bonfire pits from Los Angeles and Orange county beaches on the pretense that fire is bad for the environment. To support its position, the agency concocted a study concluding that an evening beach fire creates as much particulate matter pollution as a diesel truck driving 564 miles

Man’s taming of fire enabled him to cook his food, bring light to the darkness, make stronger tools and survive the harshest of winters. It’s the one discovery upon which all civilizations are built. The assault on bonfires, fireplaces and stoves undermines one of the cornerstones of society. It’s what happens when government gets big enough to snuff out man’s greatest achievement.”

Stupid: Michelle Obama praises swapping out cupcakes for apples in math problems...

Like that is going to make any difference...

(CNSNews.com) – First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” initiative is praising textbook publishers for “swapping out cupcakes for apples in math problems,” in a campaign to incorporate health information into the learning resources for kids.

“Today at the White House, we celebrated a group of educational publishers on their development of voluntary guidance to incorporate health information into textbooks and other learning materials,” Let’s Move! said in a blog post entitled, “Cookies 2 Carrots,” on Wednesday.

“Publishers are making simple changes, like swapping out cupcakes for apples in math problems,” the anti-obesity initiative noted. “They are also finding ways to include physical activity in lesson plans – discussing the history of little league baseball and using sports in word problems.”