Sex and Soda
Charlie Earl
Without
government most important things in life would be unmanageable for many of us.
It’s wonder that we can get through a day or part-day without the beneficent
guiding hands of Big Brother and Nanny State. I assume that running with
scissors is a crime because I rarely hear about it anymore. Likewise for
running with a sucker or lollipop firmly fixed in your mouth…both could be
dangerous or deadly if not prevented or discouraged by our loving overseers.
Lord Michael of Bloomberg, the Grand Potentate of New York, has resolved the
burning issue of soda (pop) consumption by severely limiting portion sizes, but
I’m curious, has he restricted the NUMBER of portions one can drink in a given
day? If not, he must be beholden to Dixie Cup manufacturers or own a sizeable
chunk of their stock in his portfolio.
Trying to
discern the real motives of our royal politicians and their bureaucratic
squires is a cottage industry with no end…..and no definitive answers. The
large issues of the times are ignored, delayed or distorted yet our elite
governing class has the time and the wisdom to tweak the most mundane aspects
of our daily living. Their approach reminds me of a young fellow on my Little
League team in the ‘50’s. Paul was a right-handed player who bunted left-handed
when at bat. Everyone on both teams knew that when he stepped into the
left-hand batter’s box, he was going to bunt. The major problem was the he couldn’t
hit left-handed nor could he hit or bunt from the right side. He was one-dimensional
and predictable….a quasi-master of a little thing while unable to execute the
greater skill. So it is with our busy-body political and bureaucratic rulers.
They are incapable of solving the greater problems (many created by their own
incompetence) so they become experts in the petty annoyances that are
universally meaningless.
You may
logically ask “Didn’t Paul’s bunting expertise ever help the team?” Rarely …
because bunting may not have been the best strategy when it was his turn to
bat, and even if it were, the pitcher and the defense could adjust for the bunt
and transform it into a liability for our team. Just like our over-burdening
fearless leaders with their constant meddling into the little things in our
lives turn their rules, regulations and laws into liabilities. Their emphasis
on the minor things do little more than create barriers, increase our
frustration and magnify our distrust. It seems to me that most career
politicians understand that they have mucked up the big things so badly that
they must concentrate on the little issues of control to justify their egos and
their positions of trust. Otherwise….who needs them? Who wants them? By
appealing to a small but strident segment of our populace who makes more noise
than they do sense…., the politicians can create some justification for their
office-holding and interventions.
Now….regarding
the “Sex” part of the title…, it wasn’t placed there for its “sizzle effect,”
but rather to illustrate the hypocrisy of our elite leaders. Our old Victorian
norms touted promiscuous sexual activity as immoral and forbidden. They weren’t
naïve. They knew that despite the strict social prohibitions, illicit sexual
activity occurred. To some degree, however, their taboos may have limited the
activities of the lusty thus minimizing a host of negative social and physical
consequences. Today…we find politicians are all too willing to limit our
INDIVIDUAL choices for liquid refreshment but are fearful of forcefully
addressing sexual behaviors that can lead to disease, unwanted pregnancies,
abortions and shattered hearts and broken dreams. The distorted pyramid of
priorities for our political leaders has elevated our refreshment choices to
the top and generally ignored the fallout resulting from wanton intimacy. It’s
as if they are concerned about a perpetrator’s headache while the guillotine
blade is falling. It’s time for a drink.
Charlie Earl
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