How does Elmer find me? I can go for years without running into specific friends at the grocery store or the home improve-ment center. But I run into Elmer like clockwork. He waved to summon my attention in the supermarket parking lot. He was smiling, until he began to whine.
“People are crazy!” Elmer griped, without bothering to greet me. “Did you hear about the mayor of New York trying to ban large soda pops? Talk about ‘Big Brother.’ Last I heard a judge stopped it. Glad there is at least one judge out there with sense.”
“Yep, it is pretty bad,” I agreed. I enjoy agreeing with Elmer; it is a rare treat.
“That’s crazy, the government regulating us like we are children,” he added. “It’s a free country. If I want to drink a liter of coke at one sitting, that’s my right!”
“Yeah, I am with you. I do agree that we Americans need to eat better, but to try to force, coerce or manipulate people to eat better is not the role of government. I like what Michelle Obama has pushed — balanced, low-fat, low-sugar meals. The schools are serving healthier food because of it, but parents can always pack their kids’ lunch if they don’t like what the school offers.”
“I don’t even like the Michelle Obama thing,” Elmer smirked. “The government should stay out of the whole picture. My grandparents lived into their nineties, and they ate greasy bacon and sausage and fried eggs for breakfast every day. Gramps smoked cigars and he and grama weighed in at just under 300 lbs each. Them health fanatic people don’t know what they are talking about.”
Elmer and I had waded through this conversation in the past, so I had the sense to resist the temptation. Although I felt I could refute his logic, I chose to let things pass.
“Elmer,” I commented, “Think about this: a lot of parents could care less what their kids eat. Your grandparents made their kids eat green vegetable every day and drink lots of milk. But did you hear about that guy that was allegedly giving alcoholic drinks to twin two year-olds?”
“Yeah, I read about that. Well, for those kinds of extreme things – if the guy really did it – the authorities should step in,” Elmer acquiesced.
“That’s the problem, Elmer. Because parents are not monitoring what their kids eat – or because they are out to please their kids – the schools and the government feel an obligation to do so. Whether by neglect or spoiling, the youngsters are developing conditions and habits that will afflict them for the rest of their lives. Whether the government should take this role is another issue.”
I continued:
“When you have all these single-parent families, and when you factor poverty into the equation, children can end up as children of the state by default. As families disintegrate, America becomes more socialistic as fallout. If you think about it, both socialism and communism are instances of the government becoming your parents.”
Sometimes people say my mouth is so big, I can whisper in my own ear. Criticism not withstanding, I continued:
“For the last thirty years or so, we were able to rely upon grandparents to offer some stability to these youngsters, but now more of the older crowd also has a track record of relational instability. Grama and grampa ain’t what they used to be. Maybe things will work out somehow, but bigger, nanny-like government is probably the future. I’m not happy about that!”
“Well, Ed,” Elmer commented, “You are sure long-winded today. You must have been vaccinated with a phonograph needle.”
“Yep, maybe I’ll hush up and relax with a cup of coffee,” I responded. “Want to join me?”
Elmer didn’t bother to say “Goodbye” as he whisked himself away.
Ed Vasicek is pastor of Highland Park Church and a weekly contributor to the Kokomo Tribune. Contact him at edvasicek@att.net.
Opinion
Vasicek; Nanny-like government likely in our future
- Opinion
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Move over, Ind. drivers
Keep highway and utility workers safe; remember to pull over for utility vehicles.
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May 18, 2013: Cheers & Jeers
Commissioner earns respect of inmates
Kyle Stacy sends this Cheer for Howard County Commissioner Paul Wyman:
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House of Burgess: The revolution will be printed
Another major milestone in the history of 3D printing was reached earlier this month when Cody Wilson, director of the nonprofit Defense Distributed, announced he had conducted the first-ever successful test firing of a completely 3D-printed gun in (where else?) Texas. Wilson then uploaded the plans online. These files were then downloaded over 100,000 times over the next 48 hours. That was, until the State Department intervened.
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Hayden: From good to great in education
On the campaign trail last year and early into his administration, Indiana Gov. Mike Pence said repeatedly that his goal as governor would be to take Indiana from “good to great.”
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Mom’s simple advice still presents a valuable challenge
Most moms don’t base their advice on scientific research. Instead, their words of wisdom come from a greater source — the heart, where they store and process life experiences. Unfortunately, some folks don’t receive the gift of maternal guidance, for various reasons.
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Wolfsie: Making bird calls
One afternoon in 2011, my friend Eric spent a couple of hours over lunch explaining Twitter to me and I thought I understood it all, but as you’ll see from my first few tweets, I wasn’t very confident: “Is anyone getting this?”
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Letter to the Editor: May 13, 2013
Good people wouldn’t do this to their neighbors. This common refrain is being heard over eastern Howard County where industrial development is planned for our farmland in the form of massive wind turbines.
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Vasicek: Mother’s Day stresses
For two hours, the lady sitting next to another airplane passenger boasted about her grandchildren, producing a barrage of photographs. She finally realized that she had been talking the whole time, so she tried to make amends:
“Oh, I am sorry! I have monopolized the conversation. I will listen to you now. So please tell me: what do you think of my grandchildren?” -
Letters to the Editor: May 12, 2013
How fortunate, that after years of trying to bring top-notch wind energy companies to Tipton County, this great choice is here for us — just at the right time. Tipton County badly needs the revenue from clean wind farm companies.
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Cheers & Jeers: May 12, 2013
“A big cheer goes out to Kokomo for those who parked along the route to cheer on the bikes and to the riders who participated in the 11th Annual Ride For The Troops on Sunday, April 28. Despite the rain, we had a excellent turnout of 457 bikes!"
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