Editorial: Government needs reminder of responsibilities

Now that we've narrowed the field for our next set of elected representatives, let's remind them all what they're supposed to be doing on our behalf:

Securing our unalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

Three recent news stories suggest they need a good reminding.

Somehow we doubt the Founding Fathers would have approved of today's government efforts to imprison Roger Clemens, make chicken pens bigger or outlaw Big Gulps.

It's not that we necessarily approve of the baseball pitcher's antics, tiny spaces for critters, or caffeine by the gallon.

But we don't see how any of it relates to the U.S. Constitution and government's purpose in our lives.

For those in fear of political advertisements who may have avoided the paper and TV news these past few days, here's a quick summary of the latest news:

• The trial of baseball pitcher Clemens is eight weeks old now. He is accused of lying to Congress about using performance-enhancing drugs.

Apparently government has somehow concluded that Clemens' possibly lying about risking his health to help his New York Yankees and Houston Astros succeed has maybe prevented Texas Rangers' fans from being happy?

• New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has proposed limiting the soda size in restaurants. He believes 32-ounce sugary soft drinks are too much.

According to which amendment must government devote itself to prolonging the lives of those who pursue unhealthy lifestyles?

• And Congress is considering a proposal that would require owners of egg-laying hens provide more room to roam — up to 125 square inches of space inside the chicken coops.

Chickens deserve liberty, too? Right up until we eat them, it seems.

Let's hope our next generation of elected officials will concern itself with limiting government's ridiculous impact on our lives.

If not, we may all find ourselves hiding chicken coops and 44-ounce soft drinks, and lying about it in hopes of staying out of jail.