Sometimes I wish politicians were more like good parents. I know that doesn’t sound very libertarian – the last thing we want is for politicians to become humanity’s moms and dads – but there’s at least one thing good parents do that most politicians constantly avoid: saying “no.”
When kids want their food pyramids to have a base of candy, center of ice cream, and peak of ice cream with candy sprinkles, good parents say “no.”
When young ‘uns want to show off their mumblety-peg skills with the Bowie knife they found in dad’s old camping gear, good parents say “no.”
And when the children want to borrow the family sedan for a little off-road speed competition, good parents say “no.”
Of course, saying no all the time doesn’t make life with the kiddos easy or fun. The kids get angry. Mom and dad fume. “I hate you” may even be uttered. But refusing to help the children seriously endanger their arteries, digits, or worse – even if it makes the parents’ life tougher – is what good parenting is all about.
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