“The long-awaited decision from Montgomery County Child Protective Services has arrived at the home of Danielle and Alex Meitiv, and it finds them ‘responsible’ for ‘unsubstantiated child neglect’ for letting their kids walk outside, unsupervised. If that decision makes no sense to you, either — how can parents be responsible for something that is unsubstantiated? — welcome to the place where common sense crashes into bureaucratic craziness.” [Lenore Skenazy, Free-Range Kids] The “finding of unsubstantiated child neglect means CPS will keep a file on the family for at least five years and leaves open the question of what would happen if the Meitiv children get reported again for walking without adult supervision.” [Donna St. George, Washington Post] Earlier here and here. (cross-posted at Free State Notes).
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[…] from Overlawyered, earlier […]
Congress should enact a Parental Civil Rights Act providing for stiff criminal and civil penalties against organizations and individual bureaucrats who harass normal parents making normal child-rearing decisions. Among the charges available might be “kidnaping under color of law.”
If this is a legitimate government action, doesn’t it mean every parent in the United States today is guilty of unsubstantiated child neglect?
For that matter doesn’t it mean everyone in the United States today is guilty of any arbitrary number of unsubstantiated crimes?
If so, then isn’t it reasonable to reflect sadly that our government has gained the power to do things like this (a) because the people gave the power to them and/or (b) because the government that the people elected seized the power with no objection from the people or the media?
I’m pretty sure no one can point to any time in history when a government did not actually, you know, use the powers that it had. I’m also pretty sure no one can point to any time in history when a government gave back any of its powers to its people. If this monstrosity stands in Montgomery County, it will be a very bad sign.