Wading into another debacle (nanny state to the rescue)

Waterbury Republican-American ^ | 08/05/06 | Editorial

[Graybeard58]

Coming to every school in Connecticut: a state-mandated swimming pool? The idea is not that far-fetched if you follow the thinking of people alarmed by the recent spate of drownings in Connecticut.

Here's the road map: Several young people, mostly minorities who were non-swimmers, drowned this summer. In Connecticut, this constitutes a moral crisis requiring -- what else? -- a government solution.

An analysis of selectively culled and tortured data from the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control reveals America has a "swimming gap," with racist origins, of course. Minority children 10 to 14 are more than four times as likely to drown than their white peers because, according to The Hartford Courant, Southern plantation owners prevented slaves from learning to swim so they would be less likely to escape. "(M)inority groups have historically been underrepresented in swimming lessons for a variety of reasons, including economics. Pools are sparse in the urban areas where so many minority families live."

This apparently compels the state to go off the deep end. One solution being bandied about would add to public-school curriculums a requirement that students get five hours of swimming lessons per year beginning in kindergarten. Of course, that would require the construction (with union labor) of hundreds of new school pools at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars, plus the hiring of many more (unionized) gym teachers/swimming instructors. It's a state mandate waiting to happen. Opponents will be condemned as racists, and if that fails, there's always the old saw: "If it saves one life, it would be worth it."

No one would argue children should be taught to swim, but no drowning crisis exists. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 782 American children 14 or under drowned in 2003, the last year for which statistics are available, but drowning rates have been declining steadily in recent decades. Each drowning is a tragedy, but the National Safety Council says the average American child is more likely to die in a plane crash than drown accidentally.

Just about every municipality, as well as YMCAs and other nonprofit groups, offer swimming lessons at reasonable prices; most provide discounted or free lessons to low-income families.

The responsibility for teaching children to swim belongs to their parents, not the state. It's saner, simpler and far less expensive than another massive government debacle.

[Graybeard58]

ping

[digger48]

Theres another way...


Like myself and most of the kids I grew up with.....


Boy Scouts

Girl Scouts

[goldstategop]

Liberals won't stop until they decide what we can eat, when we can shower and brush our teeth, when we can have a bowel movement, when we can exercise, where we can drive, how much we can work for and how long we can work for it, where we can sleep and how we'll be buried when we die. Socialism is truly cradle to grave. I kid y'all not.

(Go Israel, Go! Slap 'Em Down Hezbullies.)

[Graybeard58]

Boy Scouts?

Not in Philly:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1678495/posts

[DAC22]

Sigh.... I'm 47, thankfully I'll be dead before full socialism is in effect nation wide.

[digger48]

aw jeez...

[Socratic]

Let's have special jumping instruction for the white boys.

[johniegrad]

America has a "swimming gap," with racist origins, of course. Minority children 10 to 14 are more than four times as likely to drown than their white peers because, according to The Hartford Courant, Southern plantation owners prevented slaves from learning to swim so they would be less likely to escape. "

I agree. We should compensate any former slaves that have drowned in these public swimming pools.

[Tax-chick]

Of course, that would require the construction (with union labor) of hundreds of new school pools at a cost of hundreds of millions of dollars, plus the hiring of many more (unionized) gym teachers/swimming instructors.

Nonsense. IF the state determined it had an interest in swimming instruction (gotta start with some premise ...), then give the families a voucher for Red Cross swimming lessons, and verify that the student had taken the course before admitting him to the new school grade.

Ipso facto, all over.

[USMA '71]

Don't be so sure. If the Democrats win control of the Congress this year, we will be a Socialist country before you hit 50!

[phrogphlyer]

The responsibility for teaching children to swim belongs to their parents, not the state. It's saner, simpler and far less expensive than another any massive government debacle.

[Texas Eagle]

Connecticut has minorities???

Oh. They're probably referring to people with net worths under a million dollars.

[Wisconsin]

Many years ago I taught drownproofing to poor kids -14-17 yrs old.

It was hard with blacks. Many black males were "sinkers", that is with a full breath, lying motionless in the water, they sank. Very few whites are. Even some black females sank, whereas I don't think I ever seen a white female sinker.

I don't know the reason for the difference but it is pretty obvious to anyne who has taught swimming.

[dancusa]

America has a "swimming gap," with racist origins, of course. Minority children 10 to 14 are more than four times as likely to drown than their white peers because, according to The Hartford Courant, Southern plantation owners prevented slaves from learning to swim so they would be less likely to escape. "

The Hartford Courant is full of it. That is typical liberal white guilt pandering. The reason why of those statistics is that with a 70% illegitimate rate, there are no fathers around to teach their kids to swim.

[BenLurkin]

Pools at the schools is probably a good idea.

I've swum at inner city public pools. There was very little actual swimming to be seen -- mostly just coarse horseplay.

They tend to be dirty, dangerous places. The lifeguards are shouted at, ignored and abused. Some are victims of sexual harassment and even assault.

[RFC_Gal]

782 American children 14 or under drowned in 2003, the last year for which statistics are available, but drowning rates have been declining steadily in recent decades. Each drowning is a tragedy, but the National Safety Council says the average American child is more likely to die in a plane crash than drown accidentally

Isn't that wrong? How can the chance of a child getting killed in a plane crash be higher than drowning when the number of kids who get killed in plane crashes is much lower than those who drown?

[paul51]

When do we institute the gun safety and shooting classes?

[paul51]

They tend to be dirty, dangerous places. The lifeguards are shouted at, ignored and abused. Some are victims of sexual harassment and even assault.

What makes you think putting the pools in the schools will change that?

[paul51]

ROTFLMAO

[BenLurkin]

Just a hope, really.

But everyone should know how to swim -- teaching it in physical education class is not, IMO, at all far-fetched.

[mouse_35]

People of African origin have bones that are more dense and a lower percentage of body fat. People of Irish descent, ditto.

[Just A Nobody]

You are not gonna believe this nanny state mandate.

[Gabz]

Nanny State PING.........

Personally, I do think everyone should learn to swim, and at a young age............however, I'm not the government.

[freepatriot32]

it never ends i have not read any comments on this article so far but i would bet my life savings that 30-40 percent of the preepers responding are all for this

Libertarian ping.To be added or removed from my ping list freepmail me or post a message here

[Graybeard58]

.......30-40 percent of the freepers responding are all for this

Some seem to be.

[383rr]

You GOTTA BE KIDDING ME

[Calpernia]

>>>>National Center for Injury Prevention and Control

Foundation funding provided by Healthy People 2010

 

Injury-Related Websites

Links to organizations found at this site are provided solely as a service. These links do not constitute an endorsement of these organizations or their programs by the Centers for Disease Control Prevention (CDC), the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC), or the Federal government, and none should be inferred. CDC and NCIPC are not responsible for the content of the individual organizations' web pages found at these links.

Subject Access to Injury Information Resources

• Internet Injury Prevention Resources
• Injury Control Resource Information Network

Subject Access to Health Information Resources

• Healthfinder
• PubMed

  ----------------------------------------------------------
  
  http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1563271/posts
  Healthy People 2010

[Gabz]

My 8yo has no fear of the water.........thus making me terrified everytime she is in it. But she has had swimming lessons.

Our friends' summer places are right on Chincoteague channel, she wears a life jacket whenever we are over there.

[Gabz]

Here we go again...........

[Calpernia]

>>>>Liberals won't stop until they decide what we can eat, when we can shower and brush our teeth, when we can have a bowel movement, when we can exercise, where we can drive, how much we can work for and how long we can work for it, where we can sleep and how we'll be buried when we die.

OR

When we can turn on our lights!

[Calpernia]

Thread, after thread, after thread, after thread....

Everyone keeps speculating as to WHEN we will get hit again.

We are getting hit. Without a shot being fired.

[Graybeard58]

I was swimming with my kids and some of my grand babies under water before they were a year old. They naturally hold their breath and have no fear. Fear is a learned reaction.

[Calpernia]

>>>http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1678494/posts?page=32#32

Visualize me typing that with me smacking my shoe into the podium.

[Gabz]

It's totally getting out of hand.............and I can't believe the number of members here with no problem with so much of it.

[Graybeard58]

Southern plantation owners prevented slaves from learning to swim so they would be less likely to escape.

Even if this were true, it passes my understanding as to how it has any relevance to people today.

[Calpernia]

FR has enemies within also.

Take a gander at the posts here:

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1678447/posts

Another nanny state thread.

Not sure if FR is a conservative site anymore. Seems much closer to an LCR flavor.

[Calpernia]

>>>Southern plantation owners prevented slaves from learning to swim so they would be less likely to escape.

One of the themes of Healthy People 2010 is to overcome Health 'diversities'.

Not sure if the pool is meant to force people to swim or drown them if they can't.

Not sure if I'm being sarcastic either.

[Old Professer]

There are far more kids who go swimming than who fly.

[Calpernia]

You'll be dead in 4 years?

Boy, you plan for your trips!

Healthy People 2010

[Calpernia]

Stop sounding logical!

Healthy People 2010 plans on making mini communities out of the schools.

Onsite clinics, breakfast, lunch and dinner, pools.

I think the kids are suppose to sleep there too because I saw a junk science study come out about kids low performance in school due to lack of sleep.

The powers that be will need to monitor that.

[Gabz]

Fear is a learned reaction.

I totally agree with you.

She wears the life jacket when we are over at our friends because there is a steep drop from the shallows and depending upon the tide it can be hard to judge where it is. Especially for a little one. Also, the wakes from the boats coming through there can cause some hefty swells.

[Gabz]

I glanced through that thread..........but didn't get into it when I got home from work because of the numbers of the posts.

SHEESH.

[RFC_Gal]

duh.

I was thinking totals not percentages.

My mistake.

[Onelifetogive]

People of African origin have bones that are more dense and a lower percentage of body fat. People of Irish descent, ditto.

While these facts are true in a real world" kind of sense, they are not "officially" true. A government program to get large numbers of children of African origin into swimming pools may have unintended consequences.....

[Cobra64]

Jeez. Don't let W hear about this. He'll propose another Federal program: The Department of Homeland Swimming.

In the interest of bi-partisinship, the President will appoint well known swimmer, Senator Ted Kennedy to oversea the department.

Senator John Kerry, Democrat MA will be responsible for developing the swimming training curriculum.

[darkangel82]

LOL, was that necessary?

[Cobra64]

Don't be so sure. If the Democrats win control of the Congress this year, we will be a Socialist country before you hit 50!

I think you missed the memo. It began with FDR, and is being strongly perpetuated by Democrats and Republicans alike. Most recently, witness W's signing of, No Child Left Behind, and Medicare Prescription Drugs bills.

[Cobra64]

Connecticut has minorities??? Oh. They're probably referring to people with net worths under a million dollars.

Nope. All the wealthy ones moved to Dallas.

[Just A Nobody]

Thing about that is.....it was YOUR choice as the PARENT, not the government! Grrrrrrrrr