If
apple pie is the all-American dessert, the lemonade stand you see over
the windowsill where granny's pie is cooling is the all-American first
job. Sometimes it seems that nearly every kid since lemonade was invented
has learned the virtues of hard work, responsibility, saving toward a
dream or fundraising for a cause, and entrepreneurism by running a
lemonade stand. But this is America 2012, where kids are more likely to
learn a lesson in big government and dream-crushing regulations. Think
of it as trickle-down tyranny, a micro-version of what they face when
they enter today's real economy and workforce.
Last year, the war on lemonade stands came to the forefront of the national debate. Police descended on street corners to earnestly scold innocent second-graders. Parents were being fined hundreds of dollars. Cities and counties were passing ordinances to put an end to the threat to society once and for all! Do lemonade stands rank among the most urgent public safety and policy matter of our day? Are our tax dollars being used and elected officials focused on solving real problems?
Real problems. Like in Midway, Georgia. According to the Associated Press, Midway police "shut down a lemonade stand run by three girls trying to save up for a trip to a water park, saying they didn't have a business license or the required permits." Police Chief Kelly Morningstar also "didn't know how the lemonade was made, who made it or what was in it." Last time I checked, the recipe for lemonade had not changed. Was it the lemon, sugar, or water that was suspect? (If the lemonade stand had been in New York City, where Mayor Bloomberg has proposed a ban on drinks 16 ounces or larger, I would have suggested the cup size.)
Last year, the war on lemonade stands came to the forefront of the national debate. Police descended on street corners to earnestly scold innocent second-graders. Parents were being fined hundreds of dollars. Cities and counties were passing ordinances to put an end to the threat to society once and for all! Do lemonade stands rank among the most urgent public safety and policy matter of our day? Are our tax dollars being used and elected officials focused on solving real problems?
Real problems. Like in Midway, Georgia. According to the Associated Press, Midway police "shut down a lemonade stand run by three girls trying to save up for a trip to a water park, saying they didn't have a business license or the required permits." Police Chief Kelly Morningstar also "didn't know how the lemonade was made, who made it or what was in it." Last time I checked, the recipe for lemonade had not changed. Was it the lemon, sugar, or water that was suspect? (If the lemonade stand had been in New York City, where Mayor Bloomberg has proposed a ban on drinks 16 ounces or larger, I would have suggested the cup size.)
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