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Anonymous' examples of "nanny state" laws and regulations:
>>>Drivers under the age of 18 not allowed to drive with more than one non relative in the car.<<<
That is a public safety issue. Check the accident statistics on that one.
>>Seatbelt violations can now be ticketed on their own instead of when some other violation is ticketed<<
So what? If your point is that it is a silly law in the first place, consider ... who pays when the injured idiot's insurance runs out? If he or she even has insurance? You do, Anonymous.
>>It is against the law to talk on the phone in your own car<<
Only if you are holding it in your hand while driving. It may be your own car, but statistics show it is more likely to crash into other people's cars under these circumstances.
>>It is against the law to smoke in your own car<<<
Only if you're exposing your kids to that second-hand smoke. Check the health statistics on this one and let us know how unreasonable it is to "nanny" kids whose parents care so little about their health. Or do you classify children as private property?
>>Transfat is illegal<<<
No it's not. It's illegal to use it in restaurant food in some locales, just as public health regulations prohibit the use of many unhealthy products in restaurants.
>>If your child cuts school, you can go to jail<<
Only in the most extreme cases, when the parent has contributed to the chronic truancy of a child. Do a societal cost-benefit analysis on that one before you write it off.
A true "nanny state" law is one that attempts to protect people from themselves, with little or no apparent benefit to the health, safety, or economic well-being of the larger public, in my opinion anyway. Your examples aren't very good on that score.
