Thank God we are not California !

[fasteddie]

In 1/11/13 Rochester D&C

Lighten up on new laws, please

If you see Kris Kristofferson around, please tell him thanks for writing the line “freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lose” in his song “Me and Bobby McGee.” That thought is sage and very appropriate for America in the year 2013.

In California, Gov. Jerry Brown has signed into law an astounding 876 new mandates. They all took effect last week. Now, in the Golden State, you can­not do the following:

» Hunt a bear using trained dogs. Untrained canines are OK, I guess. And how would the authorities be able to tell? Would the dog have to take a test in the forest?

» Sit in an off-road vehicle without being in a seat. You can’t sit on the floor or on the roof. Do off-road vehicles even have roofs? I don’t know.

» Use a boat in a “freshwater body” without paying a separate fee. The pur­pose of the fee is to raise money to con­trol the influx of “invasive mussels.” I thought that was a 1950s monster movie.

» Drive a party bus without a special license. Can’t wait to see that test. “Do you know the words to ‘Celebration’ by Kool and the Gang?”

The list of new laws is almost end­less, and it is clear that Brown and the California legislature have been very busy thinking up ways to control every aspect of people’s lives. And that is what’s basically happening throughout this country. Politicians, some of them well-meaning, are trying to legislate ev­erything.

New York’s Mayor Michael Bloom­berg doesn’t want us to be chubby, so he’s trying to ban soft drinks in large cups.

The more laws that governments pass the less individual freedom there is. We Americans need to stop this nan­ny state stuff. Reasonable protections are fine. It should be a crime to text while driving.

Here’s my pitch to Brown and other elected officials: Relax. The bears will be fine. The mussels will invade no mat­ter what you do. The parking meter deal isn’t important. OK?