Carl Kruger plans to make a name for himself. Apparently as a nanny.

I say “plans” because he made news recently by merely mentioning his intention to push for a new law.

I say “nanny” because, well, though he’s a New York state senator, hailing from Brooklyn, his proposal is a great illustration of the term “Nanny State.”

He wants to make it an offense to walk across a street while talking on a cellphone or listening to an iPod, or similar devices.

You’ve heard of jaywalking? I guess what Kruger objects to could be called iWalking.

It’s the job of parents and nannies to tell young children to “look both ways,” and “take that out of your ears.”

It’s not the job of governments to tell adults that. By the time you are an adult, you’ve got to just accept some responsibility. Really. It makes for a better world.

I read about Kruger’s agenda on WNBC.com. Kruger is quoted as saying “While people are tuning into their iPods and cell phones, they’re tuning out the world around them.” Well, sometimes.

And Kruger does bring up two tragedies, two recent pedestrian deaths. One happened last month: a 23-year-old man was walking in Bergen Beach, on Avenue T and East 71st. He was hit. And died.

It’s a cautionary tale that would be great to publicize. And had the senator just done that, fine. But drawing up a special law for iPods? Well, iBalk.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

Life is tough for technology users. Inventors didn’t stop at the spinning wheel, did they? Next it was the loom, then the power loom, sewing machines, air conditioners, cars. One thing after another.

And PCs. Personal computers have operating systems that keep getting improved too. Consider Microsoft’s new operating system, Vista. It boasts better security than the XP o.s., more spectacular visual efforts, better filing, sorting.

Sure, some people complain. Not about Vista’s features. Microsoft’s products have never lacked critics or fans, but the critics I’m talking about are upset that Vista was created at all. These are folks who never run out of things to denigrate if they’re made by humans and make the life of other humans easier.

The Green Party in the UK worries, arguing Vista will lead to hardware upgrades and older PCs being thrown away. And that’s bad because . . . well, it’s very bad.

Derek Wall, a Green Party spokesman says, “Vista requires more expensive and energy-hungry hardware, passing the cost on to consumers and the environment. This will also further exclude the poor from the latest technology, and impose burdensome costs on small and medium businesses. . . .”

Well. There’s a point here somewhere. After all, cave men weren’t throwing out PCs all the time whenever a new operating system came along. Right? Right! No, they never did!

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

This program has a new sponsor, The Sam Adams Alliance. So, what about Sam Adams? And this new group?

Well, while George Washington is called the father of our country, Samuel Adams is called the father of the American Revolution.

Without the revolution, there’d be no America. And without Adams, there may not have been a revolution. From publicizing the Boston Massacre, which inflamed the entire nation, to the swashbuckling thrill of the Boston Tea Party, Adams captured the public imagination.

He showed people that their rights were in jeopardy. He organized. That was his genius. When Boston citizens were fighting for their rights, he enlisted help from neighboring towns. And he understood the need to do this nationally, using his writings and the Committees of Correspondence to unite the people in various colonies.

It is amazing what one person can do. Sometimes I hear people say that these days you just can’t find people the caliber of our founders. But I beg to differ. I’ve found the same kind of people.

Maine’s great tax-activist Mary Adams comes to mind. Term limits patriots like Jack Adsit in Wyoming, Greg Upchurch in Missouri, Skip Cook in Arkansas, and the list goes on. Folks like George and Phil Blumel in Florida.

And 95-year old Dorothy English in Oregon. Today, there is a law protecting Oregonians from regulatory abuse because she got mad and took action.

These are modern-day Sam Adamses, and The Sam Adams Alliance works to help them and thousands more like them.

Join the revolution.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

How’s this for a headline: “Allard Keeps Word”?

I’m speaking of Senator Wayne Allard of Colorado, who pledged to limit himself to two terms in office. He recently confirmed that his current term will indeed be his last.

Not a total stunner. Many other senators and representatives have abided by a term limits pledge. But there’ve also been a slew of alleged self-limiters, from George Nethercutt to Tom Tancredo, who catch Potomac Fever and discover that their word of honor isn’t as valuable as they once thought.

It’s valuable to Senator Allard. He says, “When I first announced for Congress, I made a pledge to be a citizen legislator and serve in the Jeffersonian ideal of public service where you serve for a period of time and then return to live under the laws you have helped enact. . . . In an age when promises are cast away as quickly as yesterday’s newspaper, I believe a promise made is a promise kept.”

Unlike so many who leave the high public throne of federal officehood, especially “the Club,” the U.S. Senate, I have a strong suspicion Dr. Allard won’t pine for Washington after his term ends. After all, he has always looked at politics as a public trust, not a personal opportunity.

Allard probably won’t go down in history as the world’s greatest political dealmaker, either. But that wasn’t his goal. He’ll be remembered, instead, as a good and honest representative, the kind of guy you might want as a father, brother, neighbor, friend.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.

O the absurdities of modern Puritanism.

The Puritans opposed vice. Don’t we all? Ptui, I spit on vice!

The historic Puritans also opposed any depictions of vice, such as you might find in, say, a play. Every now and then we hear something like this, when critics rail against “sex and violence on TV.” I’m not an equal-opportunity consumer of entertainment. But it’s not a depiction of vice per se that would appall me. It’s how it’s depicted.

I mean, I’m not going to skip Shakespeare or a Biblical dramatization, let alone a history text because there’s sex and violence involved.Puritanism doesn’t die, and doesn’t fade away either. Just assumes new forms. The latest? In some cities, including a town in Nebraska, another in Colorado, another in Scotland, actors are prohibited from smoking even fake cigarettes on stage. Because of anti-smoking laws. I kid you not.The regulators are aware that this looks silly but think consistency requires such bans. Otherwise, well, people might smoke even the real tobacco without permission. Slippery slope!What’s next? Banning fake murders on stage in cities where murder just happens to be illegal?This is like old-time Puritan censorship: the banning of plays and playhouses; we’d have to ban film also.Oh, heck. Let’s just ban everything and get it over with. I’m tired of the suspense.

This is Common Sense. I’m Paul Jacob.