Yet another example of the short-sightedness of the government in creating regulatory guidelines to rule our lives. A woman, who was helping her neighbors by watching their kids for an hour each day while they waited for the school bus, was sent a letter from the Michigan Department of Human Services warning her that she would be violating the law and faced a fine and jail time if she continued watching her neighbors’ children:
Snyder’s predicament has led to a debate in Michigan about whether a law that says no one may care for unrelated children in their home for more than four weeks each calendar year unless they are licensed day-care providers needs to be changed. It also has irked parents who say they depend on such friendly offers to help them balance work and family
Now, they are attempting to write a bill that addresses the issue of good neighbors helping each other out! Unbelievable that being a good neighbor is being regulated!It’s a no-brainer to figure out what this woman was trying to do, yet the bureaucrats still harassed her because bureaucrats stick to the letter of the law even when the law is ridiculous and intrusive. You’d think the fact that she doesn’t charge her neighbors a fee would demonstrate she isn’t running an illegal day care. But of course common sense is anathema to the government.Yet another perfect example of why you do not want a government bureaucrat getting a say in your health care.Here’s a video report of the story:
posted September 30, 2009 at 2:10 pm
give us a break! is there nothing that you won’t whine about?
we are a land of law, not lawlessness. if there’s a law, it should be followed to the letter! in this case, the law should be amended, as republican brian calley is working on, to clarify that those not in the daycare business don’t need to be licensed even if they are babysitting kids in a way that would normally be considered “daycare”. and the governor even intervened to help fix the situation.
heck, even the woman’s spokesperson realizes the importance of the law in protecting the kids.
so, while you continue to rip on government, just remember that it’s government that is protecting kids with laws like this one from bad adults who would prey on kids. when it was found to be insufficient, government officials stepped in to fix it and to deal with the immediate problem.
posted September 30, 2009 at 3:47 pm
Since someone anonymously reported this woman for looking out for her friends kids, the state had an obligation to investigate. Having done that, I think the bureaucrats should have had both the discretionary power and the wisdom to say that this was not unlicensed day care. But the state needs both discretionary power and wisdom to go along with the letter of the law.
This isn’t a liberal/conservative issue. I would be willing to bet that the majority of liberals and conservatives agree that this was a ridiculous case of government intruding where it didn’t belong (not the investigation, but the ruling).
posted September 30, 2009 at 7:02 pm
Hey Michele,
A friend of mine directed me to your page. He is a bit confused about the Reformed portion your title – I must admit so am I. But I haven’t taken much time to review the larger body of your work so I might be missing something.
In any case, I have a couple of comments in response to the post at hand. To be honest, the discussion (Drudge, Cable News, etc.) has been conducted in a cynical manner for shock entertainment and political purposes; without great concern for those that the applicable Michigan laws are trying to protect – Children.
A simple search of “illegal daycare” brings up some pretty sad stories.
From the link posted to my comment comes this information: “Last year [in Texas] 17 children died in illegal care. That’s in addition to 11 in 2007, 15 in 2006, and 9 in 2005.”
We have a common responsibility to promote justice. While I agree that Mrs. Snyder was not treated with Common Sense, I will point out that she was not treated Unjustly.
About that health care pitch at the end of your post, Apple to Oranges? Or what?
posted October 2, 2009 at 11:16 pm
Wasn’t it Hillary Clinton who said “It takes a vilage”?
So what’s the problem with this woman doing the neighborly thing? Haven’t we gone too far in America when someone like this gets a reprimand from the state??
posted October 2, 2009 at 11:16 pm
s/b “village”