How Government Overreach Threatens Your Parental Sovereignty
by John Shuffett, Mayor – Greensburg, KY
As Greensburg’s Mayor, protecting the rights and safety of the people in our community, including children, has always been a high priority.
Recent conversations in Congress surrounding legislation regarding our children’s online safety raises significant concerns about government overreach and the erosion of parental rights. While this legislation claims to protect children, invariably it does more harm than good.
As responsible parents, you guide your children’s interactions with the internet, teaching them to navigate the digital world safely and responsibly. Legislation like the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA), which thankfully stalled in Congress last year, however, threatens to take this responsibility out of your hands and place it into the hands of bureaucrats in Washington, D.C. who have no interest in your children, and certainly not your rights as parents.
Some would have us believe this type of legislation is the only way to protect children online. Obviously, that’s nonsense. These bills will put parental controls in the hands of unelected bureaucrats at government agencies like Federal Trade Commission. It’s a sad reality, but I have every reason to believe they will impose their own ideological biases on what content is deemed appropriate for your children.
So, what might that look like for your children? Maybe their favorite videos are “a little too Christian” for the government. Maybe their shows aren’t sensitive enough to certain cultural issues. Or their cartoons are no longer acceptable because the characters run on fossil fuels and not lithium batteries. It’s easy to laugh this off, but these are the subtle kinds of controls your government wishes to impart, little by little, at every level. And if they cannot count on parents to do so, they will force it upon you any way possible.
You must ask yourselves: do you want the government usurping your role as a parent?
Responsible parents are more than capable of teaching their children safe internet practices and etiquette without the help of the government. Not that it ever stopped the government from trying.
Elected officials must fight to protect the innocence of children in a way that respects the role of parents and upholds your constitutional rights. Any bill resembling KOSA would fail to strike that balance.
Parents must send a clear message that you will not tolerate government overreach into your families’ lives. Our leaders must focus on creating solutions which empower parents and protect children without sacrificing your values or your freedoms.
In the end, freedom of speech and the freedom to raise your children without government interference must remain non-negotiable. House leadership made the right choice by rejecting the Kids Online Safety Act last year, but the fight is far from over.
Please join me in standing against any legislation that undermines parental rights and values, and let’s work together to advocate for real solutions that empower parents, protect children and preserve our freedoms.
John Shuffett, Mayor
Greensburg, KY
(The publication of this post does not mean the Lazer agrees or disagrees)
