Confirmed: We Do Live In A Nanny State

I’m beginning to think we’ve reached the end of personal responsibility. I struggle figuring out where to begin. Two days in a row a little bit of adverse weather is projected for the area. Day one is a near bust—while snow, ice, sleet and rain are projected by a.m. rush hour it was raining with no adverse conditions. School districts all around either closed or delayed—some announcing the evening before simply on the chance. Touch decisions always for administrators—disrupt the class schedules of tens of thousands of kids, instructors, parents, etc… But they are minors and a couple mishaps and in our litigious environment the districts are out millions if not more. Yet unbelievably several agencies, if not most, were giving a free pass to come in a couple hours late. Correction–not a free pass, after all it’s our taxes that pay their free time. 

Day two—a few–very few inches of snow is projected. Now; this is not Florida, Georgia, southern Texas or southern Arizona who have no plows, no sand and no salt. This area is full of trucks and thousands of pounds of treatment to lay down. A few inches–not a foot; on the low side just a couple. And virtually everything shut down. For the day. All day. Sometime in the late night or overnight hours a single call from a single agency gives 700,000 people a free day. Strike that again–a day to do nothing on the taxpayers. You’re welcome. 

It matters not that the ‘storm’ was a near complete bust. By late morning shops, stores, coffee shops and the mall were full of people–most of them enjoying their ‘free’ day (on us). Whatever happened to allowing adults, scratch–expecting adults to exhibit personal accountability and good judgement?  With over 50% of the population relying on public transit to commute and tens of thousands who are completely carless where’s the rationale in issuing blanket ‘we’re closed’ edicts to 700,000 workers? The  absurdity of it causes my head to hurt. Agencies with staff expected to defend our nation or handle multi-million dollar projects. Even most of the museums were completely shut down. Unbelievable. 

Records show multiple times over the past 2-3 years the weather folks have missed the mark resulting in unnecessary shutdowns costing taxpayers millions upon millions of wasted dollars. What industry could ever build an effective model on that type of waste? Head again hurting, can feel myself becoming more and more conservative every word I write. If ever we thought we lived in a nanny-state this removes all doubt. We cannot even be trusted to make the simple decision of whether or not to head out to door to work or play it safe and charge off a day of leave. Head still pounding with confusion; something needed to make it end.