In polite company, we'd be siccing Chris Matthews on anyone who was sticking their hands into the pockets of a 7-year-old girl

Unfortunately, Chris Matthews doesn't seem to travel to Oregon much.  This is tough for the kid it's happening to, but hopefully it's a lesson she'll teach every kid when she goes back to elementary school in a couple of weeks. 

The girl worked on a sign, coloring in the letters and decorating it with a drawing of a person saying "Yummy." She made a list of supplies.

Then, with gallons of bottled water and packets of Kool-Aid,  they drove up last Thursday with a friend and her daughter. They loaded a wheelbarrow that Julie steered to the corner of Northeast 26th and Alberta and settled into a space between a painter and a couple who sold handmade bags and kids' clothing.

Even before her daughter had finished making the first batch of lemonade, a man walked up to buy a 50-cent cup.

"They wanted to support a little 7-year-old to earn a little extra summer loot," she said. "People know what's going on."

Even so, Julie was careful about making the lemonade, cleaning her hands with hand sanitizer, using a scoop for the bagged ice and keeping everything covered when it wasn't in use, Fife said.

After 20 minutes, a "lady with a clipboard" came over and asked for their license. When Fife explained they didn't have one, the woman told them they would need to leave or possibly face a $500 fine.

Children should learn at an early age that the government will stick its greedy fingers into your pockets every chance it gets, and that the government is going to do its best to overwhelm your startup with fees that make it impossible to get a toehold.

Posted by: Alice H at 02:19 PM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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