The Public Health Study Commission met on Tuesday with a large agenda although,the most sensational moment by far was the display of a diseased lung to the committee by anti-smoking advocates just before lunch (Yum!).
Tom Vitaglione, a Senior Fellow at the nonprofit organization Action for Children, presented his group’s wish list for the legislative short session that includes adding five additional vaccinations(including the much questioned HPV vaccine) ($31.3 million, Recurring), more school nurses ($10.8 million, also Recurring) and regulating corporal punishment (Priceless) in schools.
Last year’s legislative long session saw a ban on corporal punishment go down in defeat in the House by a vote of 66 to 50 in the House. Legislative rules do not allow a bill that has been defeated to be reintroduced until a new legislature is elected (in this case the 2009 long session.) Not to be deterred by that loss, Vitaglione is still after the paddle.
This new proposal calls for training in the ancient art of corporal punishment, defining what constitutes it and tracking the incidences of it. Of all of these recommendations, the data collection is probably the most potent. Vitaglione noted that until we measure the use of corporal punishment in schools, we will never know just how many minorities and special needs students are being paddled. It always comes down to the same thing with the Left. Race is like the nine iron in the Left’s golf bag of ideas. You know its always going to come out at some point. (Ironically, many African Americans support corporal punishment. At least I know my 4th grade ruler ace, Mrs. Barrett did.)
It is instructive to note the tactics of Action for the Chil’run:
Run a bill to outlaw an activity you disagree with.
Lose vote but don’t give up.
Restrict and regulate the activity.
Require statistical data to be collected on the activity to use as ammo in the next round.
Vitaglione stated in the meeting that corporal punishment will be banned in North Carolina eventually and it is clear that he hopes to speed up the process through these proposals. He would do well to realize that not all North Carolinians are as "evolved" as he and his group are. There are some parts of the state that still believe in corporal punishment and would rather not have another educational edict handed down from the enlightened intelligentsia high atop Mt. Raleigh.
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