I’m starting to believe our country lacks any markets where the government hasn’t stabbed its tentacles of taxes and regulations into. Even children can’t run a lemonade stand proper licensing:
Police in Georgia have shut down a lemonade stand run by three girls trying to save up for a trip to a water park, saying they didn’t have a business license or the required permits.
[…]
The girls needed a business license, peddler’s permit and food permit to operate, even on residential property. The permits cost $50 a day or $180 per year.
How is it that we as a society find this type of behavior from our government acceptable? Why should children be required to buy a $50.00 a day permit to run a fucking lemonade stand where they’re probably selling their product for something akin to $0.50 a cup? At that price they would have to sell 100 cups of lemonade just to break even.
This situation is a perfect example of what happens on larger scales in other industries. Part of the reason it costs so much to do business in the United States is because so many permits, licenses, and regulations must be complied with. Complying with all of the government’s malarkey costs a lot of money and that costs has to be forwarded to the consumer.
These regulations are getting a bit ridiculous though when we start applying them to children. Then again it’s a good life lesson for them, they can learn that going into business is a huge pain in the ass because the government will try to siphon off much of their business’s wealth and success as possible.