"Paternalistic" lawmakers are a sign that financially, society has arrived
(NEWSER) - Smoking, trans fat and auto emissions are only the beginning: A group of California legislators is agitating for measures regulating everything from having your pet neutered to changing your light bulbs. They're called "nanny laws," and poli-sci types say they're a product of prosperity. It's "post materialist," says Bruce Cain, a political scientist at UC Berkeley. Such measures are about quality of life, not survival, he says. More»