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Wading into another debacle (nanny state to the rescue)
Waterbury Republican-American ^ | 08/05/06 | Editorial

Posted on 08/05/2006 5:11:22 PM PDT by Graybeard58

Coming to every school in Connecticut: a state-mandated swimming pool? The idea is not that far-fetched if you follow the thinking of people alarmed by the recent spate of drownings in Connecticut.

Here's the road map: Several young people, mostly minorities who were non-swimmers, drowned this summer. In Connecticut, this constitutes a moral crisis requiring -- what else? -- a government solution.

An analysis of selectively culled and tortured data from the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control reveals America has a "swimming gap," with racist origins, of course. Minority children 10 to 14 are more than four times as likely to drown than their white peers because, according to The Hartford Courant, Southern plantation owners prevented slaves from learning to swim so they would be less likely to escape. "(M)inority groups have historically been underrepresented in swimming lessons for a variety of reasons, including economics. Pools are sparse in the urban areas where so many minority families live."

This apparently compels the state to go off the deep end. One solution being bandied about would add to public-school curriculums a requirement that students get five hours of swimming lessons per year beginning in kindergarten. Of course, that would require the construction (with union labor) of hundreds of new school pools at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars, plus the hiring of many more (unionized) gym teachers/swimming instructors. It's a state mandate waiting to happen. Opponents will be condemned as racists, and if that fails, there's always the old saw: "If it saves one life, it would be worth it."

No one would argue children should be taught to swim, but no drowning crisis exists. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 782 American children 14 or under drowned in 2003, the last year for which statistics are available, but drowning rates have been declining steadily in recent decades. Each drowning is a tragedy, but the National Safety Council says the average American child is more likely to die in a plane crash than drown accidentally.

Just about every municipality, as well as YMCAs and other nonprofit groups, offer swimming lessons at reasonable prices; most provide discounted or free lessons to low-income families.

The responsibility for teaching children to swim belongs to their parents, not the state. It's saner, simpler and far less expensive than another massive government debacle.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; US: Connecticut
KEYWORDS: drowningcrisis; govwatch; healthypeople; healthypeople2010; ignorant; nannystate; stupidlazy
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To: Calpernia

Yes, it is.


61 posted on 08/06/2006 5:55:02 AM PDT by Tax-chick (I've always wanted to be 40 ... and it's as good as I anticipated!)
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To: Graybeard58; Gabz

"Opponents will be condemned as racists, and if that fails, there's always the old saw: 'If it saves one life, it would be worth it.'"

Smoking Bans.
Eminent Domain.
Seatbelts.
Helmets.
Concealed Carry.
Your Weight.
Stupid Drug Laws.
Light Pollution.
Your Bedroom Activities.
Global Warming.
Banning Soda in School.
Mandatory Immunizations.
Farm Animal Tagging.
Electronic Chipping for Man and Beast.

Gee. I'm starting to see a pattern here! And I'm not all that smart to begin with. Wonder how many really stupid people welcome this invasion of their personal and property rights with open arms? *Rolleyes*





62 posted on 08/06/2006 5:56:03 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (Save The Earth. It's The Only Planet With Chocolate.)
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To: Gabz

I think open water is scarey; give me an indoor pool or a hot tub any day, and I'm an adult and a pretty good swimmer.

My boys can all swim, though only one really likes to. Can't keep DH out from under the ocean when we're near it. He is a SCUBA nutcase.

Worst case, I'll still be considered a "Young Widow" when he's eaten by something beastly that lives down there, LOL!


63 posted on 08/06/2006 5:59:35 AM PDT by Diana in Wisconsin (Save The Earth. It's The Only Planet With Chocolate.)
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To: Gabz; Graybeard58
When I was in grammar school in the 50's, the local YMCA offered free swimming lessons to all the city's kids, on a voluntary basis.

Even though I was the only one still clinging to the pool ladder at the end of the course, the fact remains that the free lessons were available to anyone who wanted them.

Additionally, people who can't swim and have a fear of water generally avoid it.

Seems simple enough to me.

Of course, this constitutes incomplete assimilation into the hive and there's the rub.

64 posted on 08/06/2006 6:34:12 AM PDT by Madame Dufarge
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To: Madame Dufarge

I have no fear of water and I still ain't gettin into no hive :P


65 posted on 08/06/2006 7:07:15 AM PDT by Calpernia (Breederville.com)
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To: freepatriot32; All

Yet the same 30 - 40 percent complains about Bush increasing the size of the Government.


66 posted on 08/06/2006 7:57:37 AM PDT by KevinDavis (http://www.cafepress.com/spacefuture)
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To: Calpernia; Madame Dufarge; Diana in Wisconsin; Graybeard58; DakotaRed

I gather it is safe to say we are all in agreement on the nanny state!!!!!

BTW - great approach to Scott's. Good Going Dakota REd


67 posted on 08/06/2006 10:10:30 AM PDT by Gabz (Taxaholism, the disease you elect to have (TY xcamel))
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To: Gabz

Agreement is great. What do we do about it though?


68 posted on 08/06/2006 10:19:18 AM PDT by Calpernia (Breederville.com)
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To: Gabz

I guess it's safe to say we're all on the same page...;-)


69 posted on 08/06/2006 10:37:34 AM PDT by Madame Dufarge
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To: Tax-chick

Here is a better link for all 50 states reports and plans on where they are with implementing Healthy People 2010:

http://www.healthypeople.gov/implementation/stateplans.htm


70 posted on 08/06/2006 10:38:17 AM PDT by Calpernia (Breederville.com)
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To: Tax-chick

Goes by territories too:

http://www.healthypeople.gov/state/default.htm


71 posted on 08/06/2006 10:41:14 AM PDT by Calpernia (Breederville.com)
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To: Calpernia; Madame Dufarge
Agreement is great. What do we do about it though?

I haven't figured out that part yeet, m'dear........I haven't figured it out.

72 posted on 08/06/2006 10:52:34 AM PDT by Gabz (Taxaholism, the disease you elect to have (TY xcamel))
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To: Gabz

I wish more freepers would participate in these threads. Might be easier to figure out what these public private partnerships are, what the UN connection means, and how we say no.


73 posted on 08/06/2006 10:55:16 AM PDT by Calpernia (Breederville.com)
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To: Calpernia

The problem with participation is that we find far too many who have no problem with many of these nanny-state iniatives. They refuse to see the big picture and only focus on the specific topic at hand.


74 posted on 08/06/2006 11:04:28 AM PDT by Gabz (Taxaholism, the disease you elect to have (TY xcamel))
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To: Calpernia

We are here - just not sure what to do.


75 posted on 08/06/2006 11:06:37 AM PDT by patton (LGOPs = head toward the noise, kill anyone not dressed like you.)
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To: Gabz
I haven't figured out that part yeet, m'dear........I haven't figured it out.

Nor have I.

But not so many years ago, there were no real gathering places for enemies of the Nanny State.

Thanks to the internet, "fooling us once" isn't so easy any more.

I suppose the first step on the long journey at least isn't impossible now, and it's a tool we didn't possess before.

Would this be considerd a "ramble" or a "rant?"

76 posted on 08/06/2006 11:17:49 AM PDT by Madame Dufarge
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To: Madame Dufarge
Would this be considerd a "ramble" or a "rant?"

Neither, just plain old fashioned common sense.

77 posted on 08/06/2006 11:19:33 AM PDT by Gabz (Taxaholism, the disease you elect to have (TY xcamel))
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To: Madame Dufarge; patton; Gabz

No common sense for you!


http://www.freerepublic.com/forum/a3aff48334802.htm
The UN Plan for Your Mental Health


78 posted on 08/06/2006 11:40:26 AM PDT by Calpernia (Breederville.com)
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To: Calpernia

Ich - I need a shower.


79 posted on 08/06/2006 11:44:00 AM PDT by patton (LGOPs = head toward the noise, kill anyone not dressed like you.)
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To: patton; Calpernia
Ich - I need a shower.

I had already read it and had the same reaction.

80 posted on 08/06/2006 11:56:14 AM PDT by Gabz (Taxaholism, the disease you elect to have (TY xcamel))
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