Posted on 05/01/2011 11:54:14 AM PDT by neverdem
Instead of teaching a kid about running a business, she got a lesson in government regulation.
My 8-year-old recently got the lemonade stand itch. So we started laying plans to enrich her college fund by enticing passers-by with white chocolate-pistachio cookies and juice from organic lemons. Fortunately, our property backs onto one of the busiest paved urban trails in America, bustling on weekends with cyclists, rollerbladers and pedestrians. Visions of dollars danced in our heads.
Googling for the perfect lemonade recipe, we soon found a site promoting a May 1 "national" event called Lemonade Day. This event, organizers say, is an "initiative designed to teach kids how to start, own and operate their own business — a lemonade stand." What better day to begin building our lemonade empire?
After shopping for her raw materials, I gave my kid a bedtime primer about starting a business. How much profit do you make after expenses? How should you promote your business? Give the customer a great product. She soaked it up and went to sleep all inspiration and smiles. Then I got to thinking about something I hadn't discussed with her: government regulations.
The next morning I began a three-day phone trek through the maze of government agencies that regulate businesses and food sales, and I watched my child's All-American plan crumble like fresh-baked cookies.
My first call was to the parks department, which maintains the trail. That agency is a sponsor of the local Lemonade Day, but, alas, does not permit lemonade stands on its properties any other day of the year. It especially doesn't allow them alongside the trail. Why? They would be "dangerous"; accidents would happen. Do they expect any accidents on Lemonade Day, I asked? "No, we are confident nothing bad will happen that day." Poof! Our best...
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
This is the result if the bizzaro logic that is liberalism...
Illegals are Ok to run the streets with impunity, but the cops will show up if you kid tries to sell some lemonaid or girlscout cookies from your own front yard..
Haven’t we all learned recently that we shouldn’t buy drinks containing sugar? Michelle says so. What a shame this is. Some of my best memories are of running Kool-Aid stands with my brothers when we were children. Everybody in the neighborhood bought from us and nobody died.
this in a state that allows fruit to be openly hawked on street corners by unlicensed hispanic vendors ?
I’d sue for discrimination.
Demonstrating, for the zillionth time, that government is the enemy of the people.
The pathetic creeps in govt want absolute control over every facet of our lives. And the more control and power we allow them to take the worse society gets.
Sometimes, it is just better not to ask the question. Children can operate lemonade stands because they aren’t trained to look to Government for permission or help.
But if a mother decides to operate a lemonade stand to fund their child’s college fund, they of course don’t have the childlike ideals and you end up finding out it’s all illegal.
We either get used to the government jammed up our asses in every conceivable way, or we fight back. It is not going to get better unless we fight back hard. The costs and scope and scale of government only goes in one direction -- to more costs, more regulations, more intrusions, more control.
It will take a revolution to get us back to where we are masters of government, and not the other way around.
Over time all three of my kids ran a stand at a nearby corner next to the main north-south drag through our town (bumper to bumper during RH) with a sign reading “Free Lemonade! Donations Accepted”. They made out like bandits.
Obama cannot be defeated in 2012 (The essay attributed to Dr. Walter Williams seems to be baloney.)
Obama's Awful '70s Show Echoes Jimmy Carter by Eric Alterman!
Some noteworthy articles about politics, foreign or military affairs, IMHO, FReepmail me if you want on or off my list.
When we were kids, my siblings and I used to make our own root beer and lemonade, and mix frozen orange juice.
We then hauled our table and chairs across the highway to the lake, and sold product for 2-4 hours each, or until the product for that day was all gone.
This worked fine for 2 years, until the Kiwanis Club decided we were doing too well, and they built a concession stand where we used to set up.
That stand has been opened about 10 times over the last 36 years, but they did manage to boot our little tushes off “their” turf...
Regulation, it has NOTHING to do with safety, and EVERYTHING to do with CONTROL!
First rule of the entrapranuer
Ask for forgiveness, not permission
WAKE UP PEOPLE. we ARE LOSING OUR LIBERTY AND FREEOM.
oops!
FREEOM = FREEDOM!
” we will soon find we will need permits to drive to “
I don’t know what country you’re living in, but in the Land-of-the-free-and-the-home-of-the-brave, we already need such permits, as well as registration permits for the car, and insurance - and heaven help you if you don’t snap your seat belt, or have your kid in the right kind of seat (those constituting the ‘crimes against humanity’ in these cash-strapped times)....
Not a trivial exercise to take off for Grandma’s house on a nice Sunday afternoon, anymore...
I met an elderly gentleman recently and through the course of our conversation found out he was a retired business man. He started a local landfill after World War 2 with little initial capital and later built a golf course. ( Not on the same property. lol)
Anyway, he essentially told me that the landfill was very profitable until the last decade or so until government regulations started intruding into every aspect of the business. He had to grease the skids of local politicians just to stay open. Same with his golf course. He sold both businesses and retired as life became just too troublesome and not very profitable anymore.
What struck me most is his comment that both of his businesses could not be started today by someone with the same means as he in the 1940’s. He told me it would take millions in just lawyers fees just to move ahead.
Think about this. No more American Dream!
The left and the O's don't believe in the American Dream because some aim higher than others.
The left and the O's don't believe in the American Dream because some aim higher than others.
right
Poor choice of words and confusing ... I meant it would be much like it was during WW11, when gasoline rationing was in effect and people that worked in essential oil drilling and ship building, and airplane industry, etc got more ration of gas to get to work and the others simply did little using of the car. I meant we would need a permit to be allowed to have a automobile on the road unless we had permission. Big difference from having a license to drive a vehicle.
Sorry for the poor communication.
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