Article

2012-08-04 Home Front: Culture Wars

It was right there on the label of the white tuna salad, an outlawed ingredient: "partially hydrogenated soybean oil." A customer filed a formal complaint with the authorities. A Montgomery County
(immediately northeast of D.C.)
health inspector arrived on the scene. He reviewed the evidence and handed down his verdict: The fish was guilty. "Wrote them up for a labeling violation and made them aware that Montgomery County is a Trans Fat Free county," he wrote in his report. This time the deli would get off with a warning.

But is Montgomery County any healthier? Or safer? Or more equitable? The results are mixed. There have been significant improvements. The bag tax
on plastic bags, I guess
is generating hundreds of thousands of dollars for water-quality programs. Major traffic collisions are down, according to county police, and federal studies show that the rate of diabetes is decreasing in the county.
I think traffic incidents are down everywhere, for at least two reasons - safer roads, and less driving.
There are troubling signs as well. Obesity has worsened in the ~~progressive~~ county compared to the rest of the state, and federal data show that fewer residents feel healthier than just a few years ago.
That because the progressives are winning the propaganda war.
But the effect of much of the legislation remains a mystery, in large part because the county often does not measure whether the laws have any impact. Many of the health regulations "were put into place without much thinking about evaluation," said Ulder J. Tillman, the county's health officer.

Another problem is that, while the county has spent a lot of time and resources passing these regulations, there has been little to no enforcement of some of them.

Take the law passed in 2008 requiring residents to offer domestic workers a written contract. At the time, Council member Roger Berliner (D) said he was worried about "whether we would be deemed to be the nanny government of all time."

Still, the bill passed unanimously.

Since then, it's been enforced once.
California here we come!

Posted by Bobby 2012-08-04 10:13|| || Front Page|| [11134 views ] Top

#1 Works quite well for the Nanny.

Posted by Besoeker 2012-08-04 10:28|| 2012-08-04 10:28|| Front Page Top

#2 Shut down the deli, nobody drives there, traffic decreases. No work, people leave, fewer health incidents. Sit on your ass, wait for the gov cheesy checks to show up, get fat.

"We spent four years coming up with a series of laws nobody wanted and we are worried whether we would be deemed a nanniest; because if not we are not, we are not sure what it will take."

Posted by swksvolFF 2012-08-04 10:45|| 2012-08-04 10:45|| Front Page Top

#3 I think traffic incidents are down everywhere, for at least two reasons - safer roads, and less driving.

You forgot the assholes, I count st least four per trip around her, their favorite os cutting in front and dragging their ass slowly.

At least they don't cut in front and slam on the brakes.

Posted by Redneck Jim 2012-08-04 13:09|| 2012-08-04 13:09|| Front Page Top

#4 RJ, my #1 worst driving without causing an accident goes to this little gal driving a large vehicle in Denver, CO, who thinks nothing is wrong with driving 80 and merging into the Interstate while texting.

Posted by swksvolFF 2012-08-04 17:08|| 2012-08-04 17:08|| Front Page Top

#5 Nope. And it tends to pi$$ off the rest of us.

Posted by JohnQC 2012-08-04 18:42|| 2012-08-04 18:42|| Front Page Top

#6 Despite the plastic bag ban, I still rip my mattress tag off. so far, no mattress pooleece.....

Posted by USN, ret. 2012-08-04 22:58|| 2012-08-04 22:58|| Front Page Top

#7 Of course the nanny state works ... in precisely the same way that putting a loaded gun in one's mouth and pulling the trigger works.

Posted by AzCat 2012-08-04 22:59|| 2012-08-04 22:59|| Front Page Top

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