Courtesy of Piers Akerman/Daily Telegraph:
For more articles by Piers go to; http://blogs.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/piersakerman/

By Piers Akerman –, Wednesday, February, 06, 2013

THE Federal government can’t control our borders, can’t stop people smoking or drinking but now it is marshalling its forces to stop kids blowing out candles on birthday cakes.

No kidding.

This is what Labor and the Greens do best – helped by Independents Rob Oakeshott and Tony Windsor.

This is what your taxes are paying for.

The government’s National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) guidelines for childcare centres state children who want to blow out a candle on their birthday should bring their own cupcake – to avoid blowing germs all over a shared cake.

I don’t care how old you are but I guarantee that at some stage in your life you have blown out candles on a birthday cake and later shared it with others or have been to a birthday party at which someone else has blown out the candles and invited you to take a slice.

And I bet you did.

One of Labor’s greatest hypocrites, Health Minister Tanya Plibersek has hurriedly wheeled out to reassure the public that her “cupcake cops” will not punish childcare centres which allow children to blow out the candles on shared cakes.

Oh, really, Ms Plibersek?

Why would anyone believe you or anyone from your government on this matter or on any other, given its lousy track record with the truth?

This is the government which produced the worst Attorney General in the history of the nation, Nicola Roxon, who wanted to muzzle free speech.

This is the government which is still trying to muzzle the media.

Plibersek says the guidelines were not enforceable rules, just suggestions.

“They are suggestions that childcare centres can follow if they wish to reduce the likelihood of infection going around childcare centres,” she said.

“There is no danger that the cupcake police will shut you down for birthday cakes.”

Don’t you believe it.

Where there is a candle, there will be a cupcake cop waiting to pounce and write up the offending childcare centre and possible publicly name them and shame them.

Many kids live in such sterile, antiseptic environments these days that their parents are encouraged to let them play in the dirt and hug pets, to build up their immune systems.

Apart from a few whacko parents who are opposed to vaccinations, most Australian families protect their children from the common infections like measles, that do the rounds.

Polio is almost unheard of, as with tuberculosis, except in the migrant population.

Ms Plibersek said: “There’s a degree of common sense that has to be applied when you’re interpreting these things.”

But common sense is a trait that the ALP lacks.

Labor is strong on greed, corruption, venality (witness its performance in parliaments around the nation and the current theatre playing out in the Obeid hearings before ICAC).

Common sense, even relating to candles, is not its strong suit.

I’d let the kids do what kids like to do rather let Labor tell me what I cannot do.