Is tanning over-regulated?
In 1845, 聽Fr茅d茅ric Bastiat 聽聽penned a satirical masterpiece with the long lumbering title of 鈥淎 PETITION From the Manufacturers of Candles, Tapers, Lanterns, sticks, Street Lamps, Snuffers, and Extinguishers, and from Producers of Tallow, Oil, Resin, Alcohol, and Generally of Everything Connected with Lighting.鈥�
This faux open letter to the French Parliament told its members that they were on the right track in not worrying about low prices and abundance for customers, but in their concern and protection of the nation鈥檚 producers.
Forget theory and principle, and the common man鈥檚 well-being, what鈥檚 best for the producer must be the parliament鈥檚 primary concern. 聽And of course, from the title, one can figure out that the petition addresses the wholly uncompetitive way the sun provides lighting.
Bastiat is brought to mind by the case of tanning customer Patricia Krentcil of Nutley, New Jersey, who is charged with taking her 5-year-old daughter inside a tanning bed. 聽聽Ms. Krentcil is now dubbed the 鈥淭anning Mom,鈥� is the brunt of late night comedy sketches, the subject of a parody action figure and has reportedly been banned from local tanning salons.
New Jersey law prohibits children under the age of 14 to tan in a tanning booth. 聽Teenagers between 14 and 17 in that state can tan in a booth, but must be accompanied by an adult, which seems like it would be a little crowded.
Of course this whole 聽brownhaha started when a teacher at the 5-year old鈥檚 school was concerned when the child came to school with a sunburn. 聽The little girl was telling her classmates that she 鈥渨ent tanning with Mommy.鈥�
Upon hearing this, the conscientious teacher swung into action, not by grabbing some Aloe Vera, but by calling the cops to report child endangerment.
鈥淭his whole big thing happened, and everyone got involved,鈥� Rick 鈥淭anning husband鈥� Krenteil 聽said. 鈥淚t was 85 degrees outside, she got sunburned. That鈥檚 it. That鈥檚 all that happened.鈥�
Tell that to politicians who have already slapped a 10% tan tax on the industry. 聽NJ.com reports,
But at the Statehouse today, lawmakers and health experts said they鈥檙e now trying to channel Patricia Krentcil鈥檚 notoriety into another cause: jump-starting a stalled bill that would ban anyone under 18 from using a tanning salon.
With prom season approaching, [Blair] Horner said he hopes lawmakers will act. 鈥淧arents will feel more comfortable saying no if there is a law against it,鈥� he said.
Assemblyman Herb Conaway (D-Burlington), sponsor of bill (A21422) said the episode in Nutley 鈥渨ill raise attention among my colleagues 鈥� Unfortunately, this is how change comes.鈥�
Chicago pols also want to ban teen tanning. 聽聽鈥漌e regulate cigarettes being sold to minors under the age of 18 mainly because they are harmful to our youth. I do not see why this should not be extended to barring minors under the age of 18 from tanning facilities,鈥� 50th Ward Alderman Debra Silverstein said in a news release.
North of the border, Conservative MP James Bezan wants to stop Canadians under the age of 18 from tanning indoors. 聽Bezan and his wife admit to tanning via a tanning bed in their younger years, but with more and more young Canadians browning up for prom season, 聽Bezan says, 鈥淭hat is a disturbing fact, and also that melanoma is the number three cancer among women under the age of 30.鈥�
But one wonders if these assorted local politicians are not setting their sights high enough. 聽Are tanning beds really the biggest bogeyman to eradicate in the concern for melanoma? 聽Isn鈥檛 there a big red ball in the sky throwing off lots of heat and light that damages people鈥檚 skin, and not to mention, makes everyone sweat. 聽That thing that rises in the east and sets in the west.
Assemblyman Conaway, Alderman Silverstein, and MP Bezan, it is the sun that is the real problem. 聽And short of shutting off the sun鈥檚 harmful rays, 聽the only way to protect our kids is to make it unlawful for any and all children under the age of 18 to be outside exposed to the sun鈥檚 rays at any time. 聽聽Young people鈥檚 delicate skin must be protected and laws must be passed requiring children to stay indoors.
