Punish parents who allow kids access to porn

[Pagan]

Get used to such stuff in a big government society. I don't like it, but I am afraid we are going to see more attempts like this to regulate our daily lives. Sadly, whitey, these are lawmakers in Iowa that are looking to pass the bill through their legislature. I do hope their state supreme court will overturn it as being unconstitutional (against freedom of speech and right to free press).

At the same time, it reminds us - parents ARE responsible for what their children are exposed to. Here in Texas, parents are allowed to give their kids alcohol. Is it right? I would not give my kids alcohol. Did we get into alcohol at home. Heck yeah. I think all kids do. Difference between sneaking it and having it handed to us. Parents do need to start being parents and taking care of their offspring.

[whitey]

Originally Posted by Pagan

Get used to such stuff in a big government society. I don't like it, but I am afraid we are going to see more attempts like this to regulate our daily lives. Sadly, whitey, these are lawmakers in Iowa that are looking to pass the bill through their legislature. I do hope their state supreme court will overturn it as being unconstitutional (against freedom of speech and right to free press).

At the same time, it reminds us - parents ARE responsible for what their children are exposed to. Here in Texas, parents are allowed to give their kids alcohol. Is it right? I would not give my kids alcohol. Did we get into alcohol at home. Heck yeah. I think all kids do. Difference between sneaking it and having it handed to us. Parents do need to start being parents and taking care of their offspring.

I generally agree with your premise. Government has been getting more intrusive, alarmingly so, since 1992.

As far as this particular law in Iowa, I seriously doubt it goes anywhere. I actually live in the state now, having lived in DTW, NYC, LA, and Chicago. About the most civil libertarian place I have lived, so I believe that some legs will give it lip service and the bill will disappear. That is beside the point, however, as you are pointing out.

I actually wrote a few articles a few years ago about the danger of the anti-smoking laws. The only Constitutional basis for enforcing a ban on smoking on someone's private property ( a bar, lounge, etc.) are employee health concerns as codified in OSHA. But, the proponents of the anti-smoking law appealed to two very scary premises that have implications beyond that law.

1. The reliance on a statistical social/health concern to regulate everyone by pursuading the majority it is the right thing to do. The above example is such a case, and the number of laws relying on that logic and marketing strategy that are now proposed are alarming.

2. The abandonment of the concept of liberty for some scary majority rules concept of democracy. As the founding fathers of the US warned, it is as important to protect the few from the tyranny of the many as it is to protect the many from the tyranny of few. We seem to want desparately, in the US, to abandon half of that concept of liberty.

And, crusaders for some cause, often times silly, use this newfound weakness in US society to pursue their causes.