Capitalism Is Bad…M’kay
From today’s Minneapolis Star Tribune:
Mikaela Ziegler, 7, and her 4-year-old sister, Annika, were selling refreshments Wednesday afternoon near the State Fairgrounds when a woman approached them. But she wasn't there to buy.
"She said, 'You can't sell pop unless you have a license,' " Mikaela said.
That's how it came to be that an inspector with St. Paul's Office of License, Inspections and Environmental Protection shut down Mikaela and Annika's pop stand.
Yes, that’s precisely I want my city officials to be doing. They should spend their time hunting down young entrepreneurs and quashing any notion of capitalism that may be forming in their little developing brains. Teach them at a young age that government bureaucrats will be hounding them every step of their lives making even the simplest of tasks a bloody red tape nightmare. Make sure the kids are aware that ridiculous rules and regulations will be enforced by government automatons who have never even heard the word “discretion”. The sooner these kids are made aware of the way government works, the more prepared they’ll be for such struggles later on in life.
In fact, I don’t think the city of St. Paul went far enough. It appears that there were also glaring violations of the building and zoning codes. The pop stand is clearly a B-2 commercial use, which is not permitted in an R-1 residential area. The stand from which they were operating their little illegal business was built way to close to the public right of way and therefore violated the city’s setback requirements. They completely ignored the sign ordinance, which strictly prohibits Crayola lettering, and I didn’t see a handicap accessible ramp or parking space anywhere near the stand.
It is clear that we should never let little miscreants like this get away with their complete disregard for the law. If they were allowed to continue operating, they may have developed a love for business ownership and gone on to live fruitful lives as profitable (and taxpaying) members of the community. They are better off knowing the truth. I’m sure they'll be able to find government jobs.
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