BREAKING NEWS! Boy Whose Hot Dog Cart Was Shut Down by the City of Holland Now Homeless

Michigan Capitol Confidential ^ | 8/9/2012 | Anne Schieber

[sten]

“Socialists shutdown Nathan’s hot dogs”

[Melas]

While I admire and support the boy’s efforts, I personally can’t see anyone buying a hot dog in a parking lot from a 13 year old kid unless it was a “donation for a worthy cause” and the hot dog as lunch for Fido.

Based on that comment alone, I have $50 that says you're not an urbanite. I don't know about Holland, MI, but in New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Dallas, L.A., etc., customers wouldn't bat an eye.

[Marie]

When I bought my property in Texas, there were two restrictions. I could not operate a dump or a pig farm on my property. I knew that when I signed the papers.

So let’s say that I started breeding piglets and selling them for $30 each. Then, when the county tells me to stop (didn’t fine me, didn’t cite me, just politely tells me that I’m breaking the rules) I cry to the press and start gathering public support because I’m disabled and I’m special and this is the way I make my egg money...

I would never buy property in an HOA because I want autonomy. The private property owner *should* know the rules in the area where he bought the property.

Don’t like the rules? Vote, lobby, petition, etc.

But a family can’t waltz in, do whatever they want and expect special treatment because they’re disabled.

My son is a T-1 diabetic. Nobody’s fault. It’s an autoimmune disease.

He gets NO breaks. No free grants or college money, no help from the gov’t for his medical needs, nothing. And we raised him to not expect them. He can’t join the military (even though it’s his greatest dream and he has actually smoked the Seal challenge multiple times) and he’s had to learn how to deal with that. Fair or not, he’s not special and that restriction applies to him. I’ve encouraged him to lobby congress to change the rule, but not JUST for him.

This family was not cited or fined. They were just told that he had to move the cart. The city offered them multiple locations to operate the cart from and bent over backwards to help them do it right. These people aren’t arguing that the rules are stupid or the the private property owner has the right to invite them to operate a business on his property, they’re arguing that they should be the exception because the parents are disabled.

If my son tried that crap, I’d kick his butt. I’d tell him to start pushing his damn cart down the street a couple of blocks and that he’s better bone up on his salesmanship in order to deal with the competition.

Yes, the Law is an ass.

But don’t use your disability to try to take an advantage. EVERYBODY has a sob story.

[cripplecreek]

Yeah, when this story first hit the news it was clear that he had gotten the permits needed but the dispute arose after the fact.

[wildhog]

This is a local issue reported nationally without proper details or context of Holland's downtown environment. Unlike most towns, Holland's downtown is enviably and extremely bustling and vibrant. Downtown merchants pay apportioned fees for the free parking, snow-melt, sidewalk performers, and the many other amenities drawing huge crowds of local and vacationing people to Holland's downtown. Many transient and seasonal vendors would like to take advantage of this market, without equitably paying the past and current fees creating and providing the infrastructure and environment. If Holland lets this 13-year-old with a hot dog stand and a touching story purvey his product, then the town will have to allow all vendors, or be sued. Not fair to the downtown merchants or to the people that enjoy the downtown planned and protected by the town board. We live in a land in fear of litigation . . . taking an image beating by denying a boy and his hot dog stand pales in comparison to paying millions to lawyers and those they represent.

[cripplecreek]

True enough, we don't have a lot of vendors in this neck of the woods.

I've got a fully prepared concession trailer with a complete kitchen in it (Freezer, fryers, grill etc) sitting in the driveway sealed up like a tomb waiting for the day when the economy makes it worth taking to local events and doing business.



Right now its as dormant as it can be and it still comes with a special tax form that needs to be filled out and returned every year. Activating it will cost the taxes to skyrocket and that's before a single cup of coffee can be made in it. I've got to rent both commercial freeze and kitchen space whether I use them or not. there are health inspections and costs. Then there are new county and state permits needed plus whatever permits are required for specific events. It costs thousands of dollars for a permit to take something like this to a NASCAR track for a weekend.

Unless there is drastic change in this country, the trailer will sit there and rot away as I try to squeak by and fight to avoid taking government help for my own survival.

[Cyber Liberty]

Nice unit. Good condition on the outside. Pity you can’t hook up with a traveling carnival.

[cripplecreek]

Its like new inside because its sealed up tight. I was in there this morning to check for leaks and evidence of mice. In fact when I opened the door there was a partial vacuum.

[Cyber Liberty]

It’d be great at large family reunions. Do you have to get it all permitted if you’re not selling the food? Since you can just park it until needed, I assume it’s paid for which is really cool.

[bjorn14]

You’ve obviously never been to a Home Depot in the Metro DC area.

[cripplecreek]

Yeah I can use it privately any way I want but my family isn’t big enough to drag around for family events.

[Cyber Liberty]

Yeah, my family’s not that large either. But that is a really cool thing to have, provided one knows how to use it. Does it come with a soda fountain?

[LimitedPowers]

Government picking winners and losers.

Government picking wieners and losers.

[cripplecreek]

Does it come with a soda fountain?

Yeah, its pretty much complete. I paid $10 grand cash and if we ever get out from under this cloud of taxation and regulation I think I can make a decent living with it.

[Cyber Liberty]

I bet you could. There a lot of carnival operators that run large, State Fair size operations, then split into a bunch of small carnivals that travel around. It may be more common here, though, because we have a long warm season while everybody else is closed for Winter. Little towns have “Founder’s Day” festivals.

Like you need me to tell you any of this...LOL. But you did get it for a good price if the inside is as nice as the outside. It sucks you have to shell out more thousands before you can sell the first cheeseburger. Makes me wish MIS had more races.