More outrageous government intrusion

When I read this story, I initially thought that this could only happen in California. After all, California is a doomed state that overregulates, overburdens its citizens with outrageous taxes, spends way too much and is absolutely stagnant, meaning it has no economic growth. I firmly believe that Lex Luthor had the right idea in Superman when he proposed to drop two 500 megaton nuclear warheads on the San Andreas fault, thus causing the western half of California to sink into the sea. But that's not going to happen. And since it won't, we all will just have to get used to the fact that we're going to bail out California.

But, upon further reflection, I realize that what is in this story anywhere. Here it is: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/73160.html

By Eddie Jimenez | Fresno Bee
Eight-year-old Daniela Earnest has made lemonade out of lemons in more ways than one this week.

Hoping to raise money for a family trip to Disneyland, the Tulare girl opened a lemonade stand Monday. But because Daniela didn't have a business license, the city of Tulare shut it down the same day.

From that came a radio station's offer of Disneyland tickets to Daniela's family — in exchange for 30 cups of lemonade — and an appearance in front of the Tulare City Council on Tuesday night that will likely lead to a compromise allowing her lemonade stand and other pint-sized business ventures to operate legally.

The story began Monday morning when Daniela and her stepmother, Marisa Earnest, set up shop at Cartmill Avenue and Hillman Street in north Tulare. The lemonade was freshly squeezed and priced at $2 for a 32-ounce plastic cup.

Richard Garcia, a Tulare code enforcement officer, happened to be at the same intersection to remove illegal signs left behind by someone selling tetherball poles.

Garcia told Daniela and her stepmother that their lemonade stand — on the northwest corner of the busy intersection — was not safe, and also that they needed a business license to sell lemonade.

How many of us, as kids, sold lemonade at make-shift lemonade stands for maybe 10 cents a cup? I know I did. I'm willing to believe that a great many of us did. And this kid, just seeking to make a little money on the side and demonstrating ingenuity and self-motivation without any kind of coercion from parents or government entities. The kid did because she wanted to. And then, it is shut down because of violation of safety standards and no business license? This is an 8 year old kid, not a mafia cell operating a gambling operation!

How far we have come. Everything is now under the purview of the government or the government feels that it has the right, the Constitutional right, to regulate everything about what someone does in his life.

Make no mistake, this is how it starts. Totalitarianism in every form always starts small and grows. I'm hopeful that the city council will reverse this decision, apologize to not only this little girl but also the community at large (the cop should do so as well). I'm happy to read that others are as outraged as I am. Unfortunately, this is happening well beyond California's borders.