When the government goes too far

I thought I'd heard it all. I thought the government had gone as far as it could go in intruding on our private lives and mandating the way we decide to live our lives -- and then I came across a story on CNN.com.

The story reports that a California legislator is gaining support for a bill proposing the banning of spanking of children under the age of four.

Don't get me wrong -- I'm no child psychologist. I carry no degree in how to raise a child. I've never read a word written by Dr. Spock, but, through my own personal experience raising two boys, I do know that their formative years begin at the age of about one and last for the next 18 to 25 years.

From the time they were about a year old, my children knew if they committed a "no-no" they would be punished with a firm swat on the butt. Not a beating, just a swat to make them understand that if the same thing happened again, it would result in another swat -- or two, depending on the seriousness of the infraction.

After a while, they didn't need the swat. The look on my face made it clear that they had overstepped the boundaries I had laid out for them and if they didn't stop, there would be consequences.

Don't get me wrong, I am in no way condoning child abuse. In my opinion anyone who would beat a child deserves to be taken to the town square and hung. But mandating what age children can be before they deserve corporal punishment will not stop child abuse. A piece of legislation can't stop mountain lions from killing rabbits, either.

It will only take away the tools parents -- who want their children to grow to be responsible, disciplined adults -- have to ensure that happens.

I have two children, one grown and making a successful life for himself. The other well on his way to adulthood and making decisions that he can take pride in throughout his lifetime.

I was raised under the same discipline as my own children … "Spare the rod, and spoil the child." And after a little investigation, I've decided that the old saying is as true today as it was in biblical times when it was written.

I found what I was looking for on angelfire.com. According to that Web site, in 1978, the earliest reporting year, there were 452,790 individuals incarcerated in the United States. In 2005 there were 2.194 million people serving time in prison.

Many may argue that it's because of tougher drug laws and law enforcement, but in my opinion, it all boils down to government interference in family dynamics over the last 20 or so years.

When a parent is afraid to punish a child for throwing a fit in a grocery store because they may have to face child abuse charges, there is a problem.

When a 10-year old child can hold the threat of calling the Department of Social Services over his parents' head when they get grounded for curfew violation, there's a problem.

And when a politician supports legislation that would allow a governmental agency to come into my home and tell me how I'm going to raise my child, there is a very, very serious problem.