Give Me Lemonade Or Give Me Death? 6-15-2012

I don’t think that anyone could have predicted that one of the most serious assaults on our freedoms would come in the form of trying to control things that have never, ever been considered the purview of the Government homemade food and drink.

Imagine for a moment that you have been taken back in time to the summer when you were 6 or 7, and you are wanting to make some money to save up for a BB gun, or if you are as old as I am, a Davy Crockett coonskin cap. What do you do? Set up a lemonade nor Kool- Aid stand on the top of a wooden crate, set it up on the curb and don’t charge more than 5 cents. Because most folks think you are cute, and they want to be a part of the “village raising the child,” and desire to see to it that you have your first foray into the free market, they’ll pull over, pay you the nickel, buy the lemonade, and make a point of telling you how delicious is your fare.

It is a rite of passage, like going to summer camp, or going to your grandparents, or building your first go-kart. Except now, in many states, even if you are on your own property, you need to have a license to sell lemonade! All of this, of course is “to protect us,” because who knows if the kid has just laced it with cyanide, and we as citizens can’t figure out this stuff on our own, nor dare take the risk of drinking it.

I appreciate the fact that we have regulatory agencies that are looking out for us. My grandfather actually worked in an Armor meat-packing plant in the early part of the 20th century where acid was used to remove the hides of the animals and protective gloves were not a part of the equation. People were so desperate to work that they literally worked their fingers down to a nub. Such horrible working conditions were made public by muckraker authors such as Upton Sinclair, whose whistle blowing journalistic work definitely improved our national quality of life.

But seriously, does it make any sense to require an entrepreneurial child to conform to the constructs of an agency that was designed to monitor the actions of a corporation? Let’s take this a step further, and say that food or drink has been purchased in a licensed outlet. Is it reasonable to have it become illegal in New York to purchase more than 32 oz of Coca-Cola at once? And, more importantly, who is going to police one’s choices or infractions?

Can you imagine getting pulled over and given a ticket for drinking too much soda, or eating trans fat or red meat? Don’t think it is that far out of the realm of possibility, my friends. But do remember this: if you allow others to regulate your personal choices, you will indeed lose your freedoms one cup of lemonade at a time.

Ali Elizabeth Turner
Publisher’s Point
Athens Now Information & Inspiration
256-468-9425
Ali@AthensNowAl.Com
Website: AthensNowAl.Com