Great news!
Number eight hit the ground, is dried off, and is up
and sucking. (Our eighth grandchild, Liam Meredith
Kerns, was born February 8th.) Several years back,
the trophy wife and I pledged to pay for the college
education of each of our grandchildren if they run a
marathon with us every year they are in college. It
was an easy pledge with the first grandchild, but it
gets more ominous as our herd grows along with the
estimate it will cost $50K for a college degree. (I
love referring to my family as a “herd”, because it
is so politically incorrect it drives the thought
police of the political left absolutely insane.)
Here is the logic behind our family scholarship
plan:
1. It is impossible for a college student to be a
chain smoking, heavy drinking, junk food junkie and
then gut-check their way through a 26.2 mile race.
The marathon drains you physically, emotionally and
spiritually…just to get to the start line. Each
recipient of our family scholarship must make
physical conditioning part of their daily college
routine.
2. If one of our grandchildren opts out of college
to start a business or immediately enter the
workforce, the $50,000 offer remains as does the
requirement to run four marathons. Success comes
from self-discipline.
3. Because many degrees are worthless and only line
the pockets of college faculty perpetuating the myth
any degree is a good investment, the trophy wife and
I will only open our checkbook for acceptable fields
of study.
4. Both our daughters share our exercise obsession.
(Unfortunately, the $50,000 plan was not in effect
when they went to college.) Over the past eight
years, Meagan and Chelsie have squeezed in three
marathons between the births of their seven
children. Because of the metabolic drain, there
should be special awards for lactating marathoners.
(I know what happens to production when a Border
Collie spends four hours chasing the milk cow around
the pasture.)
Here is my point: There is no doubt everyone’s
health would improve by losing weight and
exercising. Druann and I are forcing our opinion on
our posterity through our checkbook, if they chose
to participate. (That is an enormous “if”.) This
exact thing happens when Americans swap
responsibility for security, however big government
replaces choice with force. Did you realize you
surrendered your exercise decisions to the federal
government in the election of 2008? You did, it is
called ObamaCare. In the beginning, the loss of
freedom is subtle and most citizens will not
recognize what is happening until it is too late.
Consider this recent news story from the Bluegrass
State.
Disguised as a combat maneuver in the war on
childhood obesity, Kentucky has become the 21st
state to track student’s body mass index (BMI) in
school records. (There is no opt-out provision.) You
are being prepped for the day you painfully limp
before the ObamaCare, rationing czar explaining why
you deserve a “free” knee replacement. After
examining your BMI figures for the past fifty years,
your request will be denied and you will be offered
the cheaper alternative President Obama
sarcastically described as giving “granny a little
pain pill.” Closer to home, in Montana’s 2011
legislative session, Senator Christine Kauffman
introduced SB25 monitoring childhood BMI. It was
killed on the Senate floor on a 22 to 28 party line
vote. (Guess which side of the aisle supported
government recording how fat or skinny your children
are?)
With Americans too fearful to care for themselves,
this regulatory insanity becomes infectious. Look at
California, the Mecca of big government, where it is
now illegal to throw a Frisbee or a football on the
beaches of LA County. Demonstrating a similar
mindset that government always knows best, Montana
Representative Robin Driscoll introduced HB314, an
act prohibiting the sale of live animals, such as
heeler puppies, in the parking lots of events like
farm auctions. This bill appeared before the House
Agriculture Committee, which I happen to chair, and
it was promptly and properly terminated.
The nanny state is nothing more than stupid on
steroids exemplified by SB25 and HB314; two of the
1179 bills introduced in Montana’s recent
legislative session. A total of 1067 additional
bills were drafted, but never introduced, thank
goodness. One mistake at the ballot box and this
insanity becomes law with the government wielding
the power to implement their wisdom down the barrel
of a gun. Vote as if your freedom is at stake,
because it is.
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