I’m glad to see that the reader comments on this WZZM story have taken a turn for the better. The article describes how Lisa Snyder of Middleville (MI) has been threatened with fines for watching her neighbors’ kids.
[The] neighborhood school bus stop is right in front of her home. It arrives after her neighbors need to be at work, so she watches three of their children for 15-40 minutes until the bus comes.
The Department of Human Services received a complaint that Snyder was operating an illegal child care home. DHS contacted Snyder and told her to get licensed, stop watching her neighbors’ kids, or face the consequences.
When I first read the story yesterday, I was taken aback by a few of the comments — although I should not have been so surprised by the outright rent-seeking. It’s also a modern-day witch hunt. Snyder will have to defend herself against whatever frivolous charges the State and the DHS dream up, all because some jackass accused her of running an unlicensed day care facility, despite all the evidence and common sense to the contrary.
Commenter msbean74 threw down the gauntlet:
I am a daycare provider and a mother of 2. I would only want the best for my children. I believe if you want to watch other peoples children you should be licensed. There is so much more done now to make sure that provider is safe. I mean we have to do finger printing, CPR, first aid, blood bourne pathogens.. This is all to make sure that we know what to do in an emergency and to know how to properly care for your children. We have to go through training every year. …
All I read is: We spent a lot of time and money to get this license which allows me to do a “job” (which any competent 14 year old girl is capable of doing), and to extract monopoly rents from my customers since, and also prohibits my customers from taking care of one another. Therefore, we the day-care industry believe that we are entitled to be compensated for this time, study, effort, and certification.
i don’t know this lady but i’m sure it was someone with a daycare license that reported her. this is our income and when unlicensed people are doing it, it takes from those who are licensed. everyone has their opinion on the topic but i still believe that [she] should should be fined
This is the pinnacle of “They’re stealing our jobs” selfishness, except in this case “our jobs” were practically never necessary to begin with; after all, people have been taking care of their own for only all of recorded history without the need for state-licensed day-care practictioners. Is it any wonder why people aren’t lining up to hire “licensed” day care providers to sit at the school bus stop?
The key here is how you define the term “watching children” because in reality, whenever children are around, someone is “watching them.” Should a “licensed” day care provider be present at all times and at all places where there are children?
For the sake of argument, I will accept that some level of security, certification, bond, etc., might be required for summer camps, full-time professional day-care services, after-school programs, etc., but it is absolutely preposterous, as a matter of practicality, to presume (as msbean74 must presume) that you could hire someone to come to your house for 15 minutes each morning. Insofar as a genuine need exists for licensing and/or certification of professional (i.e., for profit, primary-source-of-income) day-care providers (a point I am not willing to concede, but which I will entertain for the sake of argument), msbean74 would have a valid point.
But this isn’t about a bona fide day care facility; it’s no different than picking up your neighbors’ children from school or football practice, or allowing them to come over to your house and play in your backyard with your own children. It is no different.
I wouldn’t be terribly surprised to learn that people like msbean74 think these are also stealing their jobs and income. No, I would not be surprised in the least, if people like msbean74 supported laws that required only “licensed” child-taxi-drivers to pick children up from school or extra-curriculars. Or, laws that required “licensed” counselors be in attendance any time you have children in your house who are not your own.
If this is your idea of community, neighborliness, or responsibility, go ahead and include me out.
My mom was a licensed day care provider when I was a kid. But, she was licensed b/c it was a full time gig for her. If this fine goes through, it sets a nasty precedence for even "hiring" your neighbors 16 y/o daughter to watch your children.
I always thought this license just meant you can officially call yourself a day care provider and is just a sign to people that this person MAY be competent and safe and take good care of your chidlren. Does this mean grandma and grandpa are going to need a license? WHat if you are in an emergency pinch and you need your neighbor to watch your kid? Are they going to qualify this when they decide when its ok for someone to watch someone elses children without a license?
Why does it seem the rate of these types of actions by the government seems to be increasing in the past few years?
Right at the beginning I balled my fists….*received a complaint*….wtf's my gun?
That stuff right there NEEDS to cease.
If I was the person that was complained about, and knew who the complainer was, I'd make that persons life so unbearable they would gladly swallow an ounce of lead and I would harbor no guilt over it.
Lemme guess, the kids were carrying on in that womans front yard and the neighbor didn't like it. Another case of NIMBY, its OK for the state to mandate the kids go to school at an ungodly hour UNLESS it interrupts my schedule.
WTF is wrong with people like that?
That stuff right there was at the top of my list of reasons for abandoning suburbia 3 years ago.
Its to the point now that I can barely tolerate anyone.
As far as that retarded idiot msbean74, hopefully she'll soon get exactly what she deserves from her beloved state.
Took a look at that article and this jumped right into my eye: *State Representative Brian Calley is drafting legislation that would exempt people who agree to care for non-dependent children from daycare rules as long as they're not engaged in a business.*
Anybody besides me have an issue with that?
This nitwit Calley is drafting legislation to exempt certain people from something they are not even included in. Read that again.
On its face, its useless legislation that addresses a non-issue.
Further, remember the deal with *unintended consequences*, all legislation hurts someone somewhere, so the best legislation is none.
Lastly, rotten politicians have the nasty and despicable habit of tacking other things into their bills/laws, things that have absolutely nothing to do with the original concept. This is how they sneak stuff in that they don't want people to know about, by hiding it behind well publicized seemingly good things. Its the politicians sleight of hand. Calley should be found along a rural road late at night gutted like a greasy fish. This would serve as a shot across the bow to other rotten politicians.
Wow, good post about infuriating, idiotic Statism. I would post a more substantive comment but I'm too busy yelling at my computer monitor and cursing the universe.
In the article and comments I've read people have left out the most fundamental argument against this idiocy; It's unconstitutional. We have a right to assembly guaranteed in the 1st amendment. The state may have a right to regulate commerce but there is no commerce involved here. The state needs to keep out. This is the kind of thing where I wish it were me getting the letter. I find it so sad that we, as a people, don't immediately fight back with the best weapon we have: our fundamental rights. It is the ongoing erosion of those rights that allow state actors to attempt to get away with this kind of nonsense.
Thanks for the comment, Dave! The most important point is that these stories (becoming more commonplace) are not the mark of a free society.
To paraphrase Lysander Spooner, the Constitution of these United States has either tolerated the government which we now have, or has proven unable to prevent it. In either case, it is unfit to exist.
I like that paraphrase. Sums up a lot.
I guess it's time to do the Tom Jefferson deal and throw out the government and make safeguards against this kind of stuff in the future..
No one worry!! Update on this from the Detroit Free Press says Gov. Granholm is on it and trying to get the law updated since it was written in the 1970's.
Further information has determined that her neighbor turned her in. How the hell did her neighbor even know whether she was licensed or not anyways?