Dear Country Time- Don’t Forget the Next Step

Yesterday, Country Time lemonade took a stand against the forces of evil. Sort of.

Kids across the country are getting busted for operating lemonade stands without a permit. We’re taking the lead to #SaveLemonadeStands by paying for kids’ fines + permits this year. For every RT this gets we’ll donate $1 (up to $500,000) to help kids next year + beyond.

— CountryTime (@CountryTime) June 7, 2018

My colleague Andrea Ruth covered it yesterday, so you can read more about it there, and click on the tweet above to see the Country Time video.

This is great. Country Time is doing a wonderful thing by supporting kids maintain the timeless tradition of operating a lemonade stand without fear of the government getting involved. I have to say that, in my lemonade stand days, it never even occurred to me that I would need a permit or face a fine of any kind. So, while I applaud Country Time, I think they need to take it one step further. They’re only treating the symptom here.

The problem isn’t that kids need help paying the fines associated with operating a lemonade stand, the problem is that kids are being fined for operating a lemonade stand. The problem is overburdensome regulations. Country Time needs to take a stand for lemonade standers everywhere and ask the government to get out of the business of telling kids they can’t set up shop in the front yard.

Shoshanna Weissmann of R Street told RedState:

It’s exciting to see Country Time stand up for kids who just want to get their very first business experience. Unfortunately, ridiculous regulations and occupational licensing prevents normal people from doing innocuous tasks like this every day – from selling cookies to cutting hair.

Burdensome occupational licensing regulations stop many not only from entering the workforce, but even from helping their fellow man. A cosmetology student was recently investigated for giving free haircuts to the homeless. In Louisiana, you even need a license to be a florist. I don’t expect Country Time to take on the cosmetologists and florists of the world (after all, they both carry scissors. I wouldn’t want to mess with them, either), but they can fight for the right of kids to open a lemonade stand.

You’ve taken the first step, Country Time. Now finish the job.

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