Michigan Mom Reels Under Gov Heel

"Ah, Ms. Snyder, did you get a release waiver from all of those kids?"

An act of kindness.

A Michigan mom had a ‘bad day’ the other day.   She thought she was doing fellow neighbors a favor by letting kids gather at her house in the morning while waiting for the school bus.   That was until some government official caught wind of this salacious activity and told her she needed to cease and desist.  You see, under Michigan law she was illegally running a day care center.  Huh?  Yeah, an altruistic law created to ‘protect the children’, states that if you have more than 4 weeks of consecutive adult supervision, you’re running a day care operation and need to get a license.  Violators face fines and/or jail time.

When good laws turn bad.       

 At the Michigan Department of Human Services there is apparently a dearth of common sense, and this issue had to be elevated to the governor before someone scratched their head and actually thought about what they were doing to this poor woman.    The guv applauded the DHS; they were just trying to do their jobs, but ruefully admitted that the law needs to be changed.  Ya think?

Unintended Consequences 

How happy we are to let elected (and unelected) offficials enact laws to protect us from ourselves.    And, if the law is (gasp) ‘protecting the children,’ we piddle ourselves with delight as it must be good.   Who needs common sense when the government regulates every aspect of our lives.   And, with laws and regulations comes litigation.  And with litigation, people think twice about being kind, generous, and neighborly.  Do you really want to responsible for someone else’s kid, during, say a sleep over, or while babysitting?  That seems like a lawsuit ready to happen if little Johnny trips and gashes his head open.   Who’s responsible?  Yeah, you are.   

Ms. Snyder, the mom above sums it up best:   ”Whenever a kid comes over, I have to ask each parent? That’s retarded. It seems like you’re stopping kids from having friends.”

Bingo.  Welcome to America Ms. Snyder, a brave new world indeed.

I’m not making this stuff up, here’s the ‘official’ story.