Today's nanny state report.
King County, near Seattle, passes a law that "appears to be the first of its kind in the state."
People who hope to beat the summer heat by swimming, floating or boating on rivers in King County must wear a life vest or face an $86 fine.
A divided County Council on Monday passed a personal flotation device ordinance by a five to four vote. Opponents said it was an intrusive move by "big government."
"This Council sometimes thinks it's everybody's mom," said Councilwoman Kathy Lambert, who voted "no."
OK, make that "mommy state." President Obama's food police, meanwhile, are messing with one of our favorite cereal sellers:
Tony the Tiger, some NASCAR drivers and cookie-selling Girl Scouts will be out of a job unless grocery manufacturers agree to reinvent a vast array of their products to satisfy the Obama administration's food police.
Either retool the recipes to contain certain levels of sugar, sodium and fats, or no more advertising and marketing to tots and teenagers, say several federal regulatory agencies.
The same goes for restaurants.
It's not just the usual suspected foods that are being targeted, such a thin mint cookies sold by scouts or M&Ms and Snickers, which sponsor cars in the Sprint Cup, but pretty much everything on a restaurant menu.
At some point, the wretched excesses become so commonplace and expected that parody is no longer possible. I t
