Let’s say that you have a young child who wants some treat that exceeds your budget. You suggest that that she get the money the old-fashioned way–earn it. After some discussion, your daughter decides to open a lemonade stand. She develops a plan for her business. You are proud of her initiative and believe that she will learn some valuable lessons. Those lessons, however, may be quite different from what you had in mind.
Across the nation, police departments are shutting down lemonade stands, and in some instances, issuing tickets to the children. Their crime? Operating a lemonade stand without a permit. One police chief justified such actions:
We were not aware of how the lemonade was made, who made the lemonade, of what the lemonade was made with, so we acted accordingly by city ordinance.
I doubt the police chief knows how McDonald’s special sauce is made, who made it, or of what it is made. Does this mean that he would shut down every restaurant in town until they share their recipes?
Unless these kids are selling poisoned lemonade or passing off colored water as lemonade, the police should not be involved. It is nobody’s business, except the kids and their willing customers. If a customer is concerned about the ingredients or quality control, he can ask and decide for himself.
So, what is the lesson that these children are learning? They are learning that they cannot act on their own judgment. They are learning that they cannot engage in voluntary and mutually beneficial trade with others, unless they first get the permission of government officials. They are learning that they cannot live as they choose, but must obey the edicts and decrees of petty politicians. They are learning that the “public interest” supersedes their self-interest and their rights:
We were attempting to do what a government is charged with doing, which is protecting communities and protecting the safety of people.
In other words, without the government involved, “people” can’t make decisions on their own. Unless the government has granted a group of kids permission to operate a lemonade stand, those kids just might poison the entire community.
The Great Lemonade Crackdown has nothing to do with protecting people. It has everything to do with inculcating servility and demonstrating who is in charge. If government officials truly wanted to protect communities, they’d be cracking down on rapists, thieves, and murders, not some enterprising children.
What do you think of Lemonade for Freedom Day?
I didn’t know of it until your comment. From the little I have read about it, it appears to be a good thing. Selling lemonade should not be a crime.