More Dumb Legislation

In February California State Senator Alan Lowenthal presented legislation that I nominated as Dumbest Legislation of the Decade in only the first month of the decade. With that bill Lowenthal wanted to eliminate free parking for Californians and their guests visiting with cars.

Lowenthal is at it again, presenting legislation that his fellow Democrats have passed through the Assembly, that is unnecessary and extends the Nanny State a bit further.

SB 183 is another piece of legislation that impacts all Californians because of the actions of a few. According to the California Air Resources Board, that appointed body that has powers to enact rules and laws without approval of any elected officials, and has done so driving companies out of business, the same body who accepted a report as the basis for their imposing job killing laws in which the author was known to have fraudulently boosted his credentials, according to the ARB California experiences 30-40 deaths each year due to carbon monoxide poisoning in the home. Out of 30 million people 30-40 people die due to carbon monoxide in the home. How many of these deaths are attributed to the hibachi dragged into the illegally converted garage where a family or two sleeps? Perhaps most.

Because one-one thousandth of our population dies, according to the ARB, from carbon monoxide, Senator Lowenthal has presented a bill requiring virtually every home and residence to have carbon monoxide detectors. Not just any carbon monoxide detectors (CMD), since the bill states "the State Fire Marshal to certify and approve carbon monoxide devices and their instructions, as specified, for the use in dwelling units intended for human occupancy, as defined." Manufacturers must pay off the State Fire Marshal to get their CMDs approved, more revenue for the state.

According to the bill if you are a homeowner in a dwelling requiring a CMD and do not install a detector you can be fined $200. Since the detectors run from $15 to $25 chances are you will install one. By the way, it appears the state is mandating the purchase of about 10 million of these detectors, what is the tax revenue from the mandated purchases?

Since most of the carbon monoxide deaths I have read and heard about occur in garages with hibachis burning charcoal as heat I wonder exactly how many deaths this law forcing Californians to spend about $200,000,000 will prevent. How will the law prevent families living in unpermitted living units with heat from ignorantly burning Kingsford coals and endangering themselves and their families?

I want to try to stay ahead of Lowenthal and his ridiculous legislative agenda so I did some research. A national killer that puts down more people than plane crashes, firearms, snakebites and lighting is choking while dining. According to the National Safety Council over 2,100 people each year die while eating. Assuming California with about 10% of the population takes on 10% of the deaths (actually since our elected representatives feel the general California population is so ignorant and incapable of taking care of ourselves without the state protecting us the number should be higher), that brings choking deaths in California to 210 per year, more than those dying from carbon monoxide. We have to eat so unfortunately Lowenthal cannot ban food.

However, there is hope! According to the National Safety Council 90% of the choking deaths are caused by steak. Yes steak kills more people than plane crashes and look at all the regulations we have for planes! Steak comes from cows and cows produce methane, use water, take up lots of land that cannot be used for low income housing and are just bad for our environment. Not only that according to statistics steak kills almost 200 Californians every year.

Ban cows. Lowenthal can save the environment, like his dumb free parking legislation was intended to do, and save more Californians' lives than his carbon monoxide detector mandate. Lowenthal can present the Bovine By-product and Environmental Protection Act of 2010. Ban the raising of cows in California and the consumption, sale, distribution or cooking of steak in the state.

If he cannot get support for that I am sure Lowenthal and his fellow Nannies can pass legislation requiring all restaurants serving steak to slice the meat into little tiny choke proof pieces before serving, just like Mommy used to do.

DCS 04142010