The Free Zone Board

[Spallenzani]

THE GOVERNMENT IN YOUR HOME

- Neal Boortz

Now the government wants to tell you where you can and can't sleep in your home.

It's happening in Fairfax County, Virginia. The state Senate has just approved a bill that would prohibit Fairfax County residents from sleeping in rooms other than a bedroom. The law would also prohibit converting a room for use by a family member.

Why on earth would the government care about who sleeps where? According to Democratic state senator Leslie Byrne, jamming 15 to 20 people into a tiny two-bedroom house lowers property values, takes up parking spaces, and
deprives neighbors of peace and quiet. Byrne said, "We are asking that they not use their kitchens as bedrooms. What they do in their actual bedrooms, I don't care."

Latino advocacy groups are incensed because they see it as hostile to "the less advantaged members of our community." And Republicans note that, if the bill were to pass, about 80,000 Fairfax County households would be in violation.

This is yet another example of government intrusion into your home and your private life. The government wants to make sure you were using a safety lock on that gun, and that you don't use any naughty sex toys in your own bedroom. Now the government wants to make sure you're sleeping in a bedroom like you're supposed to. You can't sleep in the living room if you're playing host to a sick family member. You can't convert an office into a bedroom for a guest. All because the government doesn't want you to.

This move is supposedly being done in the name of property values. But where does it end? Where does the government's involvement become intrusive to your way of life? When, if ever, will you stand and say "Enough?"

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010128/us/bedroom_law_2.html