[mattduke]

Raise a defiant glass.

Because selling lemonade is not a crime.
http://www.lemonadefreedom.com

[Sixstrings]

Raise a defiant glass.

Because selling lemonade is not a crime.
http://www.lemonadefreedom.com

But..

Freedom to sell lemonade on the street also doesn't pay much. The US needs a jobs solution with living wages, not freedom to sell lemons or bananas on the street corner.

[Keith_McClary]

I've noticed that kids aren't very aware of food sanitation practices, but go ahead and drink their concoctions. Hopefully their mommies have educated them on such issues so it is not necessary for gubmint bureaucracy to get involved.

[Sixstrings]

I've noticed that kids aren't very aware of food sanitation practices, but go ahead and drink their concoctions. Hopefully their mommies have educated them on such issues so it is not necessary for gubmint bureaucracy to get involved.

He does have a point in that it's silly how kids can't even do a lemonade stand anymore.

If local governments could drop some regulations, the plebs would be freed up to look for alternate sources of income. There's a guy a few streets down from me, I'm always seeing a "barbecue for sale" sign and he and his buddies are sitting out there with a smoker going. I see people stop in and buy some, I keep wondering if it's any good (and sanitary). It's probably fine yet what he's doing is illegal -- you can't run a business out of your home in suburbia, plus there is a whole mess of health code regulations for restaurants.

With so many small businesses, people are supposed to get licensed and permitted and have liability insurance, on and on.

So Matt has a point, but the US has a massive jobs crisis going on that lemonade stands and "no regulation" alone won't fix -- we won't rebuild the middle class on kids selling lemonade.

[rangerone314]

Why is regulation of lemonade stands necessary now and not 50 years ago?

Is it because the government is made up of more stupid people now?

[Keith_McClary]

If local governments could drop some regulations, the plebs would be freed up to look for alternate sources of income. There's a guy a few streets down from me, I'm always seeing a "barbecue for sale" sign and he and his buddies are sitting out there with a smoker going. I see people stop in and buy some, I keep wondering if it's any good (and sanitary). It's probably fine yet what he's doing is illegal -- you can't run a business out of your home in suburbia, plus there is a whole mess of health code regulations for restaurants.

With so many small businesses, people are supposed to get licensed and permitted and have liability insurance, on and on.

Another issue is, for example in my town main street businesses have been shutting down and the population declining. Our town govt says our high tax rates on our homes is because the town doesn't have an industrial or commercial tax base. But there are many businesses operating from residential properties, parking their vehicles and equipment on streets, alleys or any nearby public land, thus avoiding property tax and licence fees. This is against town bylaws but the town govt does not enforce them for fear of seeming "anti-business".

They claim to want to attract people to live here, but who wants to live next store to a backyard mechanic or someone driving heavy equipment onto a trailer at 6:AM ?

Digression from lemonade, but sort of the same principle - there are also people who have "garage sales" every weekend in competition with tax-paying main street businesses.

[Sixstrings]

They claim to want to attract people to live here, but who wants to live next store to a backyard mechanic or someone driving heavy equipment onto a trailer at 6:AM ?

My old neighbor was a tow truck driver. That truck was in and out, all the time all hours of the night. What can you do? Working class folks bring their work vehicles home.

I don't really mind, what I do mind is loud parties and craziness. Young people hootin' and hollerin' at 3am. I don't know what the deal is with the house across from me, I wonder if it's a drug house or some kind of roommate thing but there's people in and out all the time, people waiting on the stoop weird stuff.

Then down the street we've got a government halfway house now. Lovely.

So compared to the above, garage sales and work trucks aren't so bad. (yes, my neighborhood is going downhill)

[dinopello]

I've noticed that kids aren't very aware of food sanitation practices, but go ahead and drink their concoctions. Hopefully their mommies have educated them on such issues so it is not necessary for gubmint bureaucracy to get involved.

Sanitation ? Ha! When I was like 4 or 5 we set up a stand trying to sell black walnut "tea" which we called "lemonade". We had no idea what we were doing and in those days - no parental supervsion. Luckily we had no customers that I can remember. I think people knew we were up to no good !