Posted on 01/19/2007 4:49:09 AM PST by theothercheek
The CA State Legislature may soon take up a bill that would make it a misdemeanor for a parent to spank or slap a child younger than age 3, reports The Mercury News(San Jose). If adopted, the state will be the first to explicitly ban a form of discipline that many child psychologists – and parents - believe to be an effective form of discipline when used sparingly and does not escalate to physical abuse.
Opponents of the proposed legislation point out that most spankings occur in the privacy of the home so enforcing the ban would be next to impossible. Others object to the heavy hand of the law being used to punish parents who punish their children.
The bill, sponsored by Assemblywoman Sally Lieber (D-Mountain View) would penalize any form of corporal discipline with up to a year in jail or a fine up to $1,000. She is considering an exemption for first-time offenders, sentencing them to parenting classes instead of to prison. Ten or more European countries already ban spanking; Sweden was the first to outlaw corporal punishment, in 1979.
Lieber – who admits that her parents never slapped any commonsense into her – does not appear to understand the difference between a swat on the behind and criminal child abuse (emphasis, The Stiletto’s): "I think it's pretty hard to argue you need to beat a child 3 years old or younger. Is it OK to whip a 1-year-old or a 6-month-old or a newborn?''
The proposed law will not outlaw spanking between consenting adults, which will come as a huge relief to many of her constituents.
...it's not that they want to be a parent, they don't want your kid, they want your wallet.
Oh, you wish!
The child welfare agencies will be able to investigate anybody they suspect of corporal punishment. So if little Sally or little Johnnie tells the day-care attendant that they got spanked at home, it's off to the races.
And don't think they're not going to ask.
Thread already begun here:
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1769707/posts
Most salient observation is that this bimbo is basing her legislation on what her vet said about raising her cat.
Oh, BTW she has no - zippa, nada, none - children. There's gotta be a "Pelosi to Sec Rice" quote that can be constructed, don't you think?
BTW2: A common liberal arguement is if you haven't experienced it, then you are unqualified to comment on it (i.e. Dem Vets who dis Cheney, Rove, Gingrich, Rush, et al because they never served in the military)
Bottom line: WHat a dope.
in a perfect world there would be perfect parents...
It would be a better use of time if these legislators would create more stringent laws against "stranger sex predators/abductors" and appropriate mandatory sentencing.
Vermont for starters.
sp
I guess anyone who gets pissed of at his brother-in-law will accuse him of spanking his kid. No court of law admits the testimony of a child three years old or younger so the kids themselves can't use this law as a weapon against their parents. However, I do know of a 12 year old who pulled this stunt. His family - Russian immigrants, father working in a high-tech job - got torn apart and the kid got put in the foster care system in NYC.
Oh, now that makes sense for family wellness and stability...take away the family's financial resources and separate the parent and child for a year.
Whatever your opinion on spanking, this is nuts!
ping
Criminal record?
Readers Digest had a story recently about a child taken away from her parents because abuse was suspected. The child had a medical condition and the parents were innocent. The child was placed into foster care where she WAS actually beaten by some scumbags. The parents begged a judge to move her to another home and he refused. So who was really guilty of inflicting the trauma on this child?! The story made my blood boil.
I wonder how many of the people who oppose this bill vote Democrat, or for "moderate" Republicans? They want big overpowering government to provide them with what they want, only to create a government big and dangerous enough to take things from all of us. Very scary, and infuriating that a majority of Americans seem content to let this happen. At what point will it be too late to swing the pendulum back?
...Good post. You make important points in your analysis.
And, for immigrants, it would be justification to cancel their green cards and deport them. I wonder how many illegals know that they won't be allowed to spank their kids. They are much stricter with discipline.
First it started with parental notification laws when a minor seeks an abortion, next vaccinating all girls against sexually transmitted disease and now this.
Illegal immigrants will be exempt from our laws, as they already are from the time they step foot here.
Thanks for your comments. It is pretty scary out there. Even if the GOP were still in control of Congress I'm not sure things would be that much better. I'm not sure I understand the details of this bill in Congress now that will restrict free speech even further. But it sure sounds like anyone who writes a letter to a member of Congress and encourages others to do the same on a particular issue will have to declare themselves a "lobbyist," or face huge fines! This is ubelieveable. That Americans are not up in arms over an issue like this shows we are way too passive. If this atrocity makes it through Congress then GWB had better veto it or he is every bit as much to blame. When the lefties scream about Bush taking away our rights, they're looking at the wrong issues.
You have to wonder how many decent families might be torn apart as a result of this CA proposal too. At some point maybe the American people will say enough, but I don't know how much outrage it will take.
There is all sorts of pain the child welfare system can inflict short of a court of law. This regulation will give them the responsibility to investigate on the suspicion of corporal punishment. This will drag many, many more families into the system, where they have no business being.
It is the typical bureaucratic response. There are a few bad people who are beyond their control. They can't punish them, so they punish the law abiding person for frivolous infractions instead. Like the drunk looking for his keys under a streetlight, they will do what is easy, even if it doesn't solve the problem.
ML/NJ
Too bad.
As far as spanking goes, maybe if more kids were spanked at the right time, they wouldn't be roaming the streets, stealing cars and other mischief. Then these leftist retards jump on parents, accusing them of lack of disipline at home.
It's no wonder nobody wants to have kids anymore, it just not worth the headache.
In a perfect world there would be perfect children.
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