Published: July 09, 2008 12:49 pm            

Making rules for others

The Oklahoma Department of Human Services recently closed a home day care in Broken Arrow. The lady caring for the children had deliberately broken some serious rules DHS cannot allow.

According to newspaper accounts, the lady in charge stored milk outside in 53-degree weather when licensing requirements mandate it be stored at 41-degrees or colder! A serious no-no, according to DHS. However, this occurred last December during the big ice storm. There was no electricity for several days in Broken Arrow.

Additionally, she opened the oven door in order to add some heat to the house? A big no-no. DHS obviously prefers the little tikes get cold or freeze before using heat from the oven. Where else was there heat?

Then, this lady kept a candle burning in the bathroom. Gracious me! Could it be the children needed some light in order to find their way to the bathroom facilities? Is some of this beginning to sound stupid to you?

The violation DHS might consider worthy of the death penalty. The lady lighted her house “using lamps with oil.” Someone! Please! We obviously have some poor souls working for DHS suffering from ignorance and complete lack of common sense.

The electricity was off. That’s the same as not on. Unavailable. The lady was trying to care for the children! Is that so difficult to comprehend? How do you keep milk cold without electricity, or the house or bathroom heated and lighted? Then, with these problems and no doubt other abnormal duties due to the abnormal conditions, she gave a bottle to a 5-month-old infant by propping the bottle.

Death penalty! That was the decision of DHS. The lady’s business is closed. So much for working. What next? Food stamps? Good going DHS!

It’s another example of an ongoing problem without an apparent solution. We enjoy telling others how they should act, vote, dress, etc., as well as what they should or should not eat or drink. Just give someone a little power.

It’s a local problem as well as an international problem, including all levels in between. At the same time, none of us likes to be so directed. Still, we allow others to take away our rights and freedoms every year.

Here’s something similar. OSU is outlawing all tobacco products from campus. We haven’t yet learned if the violators will be jailed, beheaded or slapped on the hand.

Still, some people surely enjoyed requiring tobacco users to do as they say.

Then, some Stillwater committee or committee chairperson noted the new demands at OSU and is suggesting the city of Stillwater be made tobacco-free! That’s an ambitious goal! We do love making demands on others. In fact, we enjoy it so much we make demands of many countries around the world. We don’t make many friends doing it, but ain’t it fun?

Just something to think about.

Thanks to those serving and those who have served in military services for protecting our freedom.

Ott Johnson is a Perkins writer.

        

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