To spank or not to spank is not a question that should be answered by the government, and it certainly shouldn't come with fines and penalties for a parent who decides to spank a child under 4.
Yet that is what Assemblywoman Sally Lieber, (D-Mountain View) advocated, arguing that a law is necessary because spanking victimizes helpless children and breeds violence in society.
"The current law is unclear in terms of limits on disciplining children physically," Lieber said. "(Spanking) is not effective because infants and toddlers don't understand physical punishment. It just doesn't work."
Psychological arguments aside, proposing a law in this area is absurd.
There are laws against child abuse, of course, which is really what society should be concerned about. Spanking is a whole separate issue. A swat on the behind is far different than a beating.
And it would be a colossal waste of time and resources for government to try and enforce such a law. Imagine "Officer Jones" showing up at "Mrs. Smith's" home and inquiring about whether "Little Johnny" received a spanking that morning for climbing into the dryer again. It's absurd, and it certainly causes one to wonder about Ms. Lieber and her legislative priorities. The good people of Mountain View need to re-think their decision to send her to the statehouse as a representative.
There are so many challenges in the state of California that deserve time and attention, yet Ms. Lieber chooses to make a federal case out of spanking. What's next on her agenda, legislated bath times?
Perhaps all this fuss is simply to draw attention, either to herself or what she deems is an issue. If that's the case, she has succeeded. But it sure hasn't done a single thing to meet any challenge faced by Mountain View residents or anyone else living in California.
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