Thursday, March 05, 2015 by: L.J. Devon, Staff Writer
That summer, I started a snow cone business, without permits, without taxes, without government interference. I freely delivered snow cones to the neighborhood that summer for 50 cents each, operating right out of my bedroom window. After two months, I had made enough profit to buy my first car: a $500 used Chevy Beretta. I even had enough profit left over to give to a local community organization. I was proud of myself. The neighbors were happy. Everything was full of abundance in my mind.
That summer, so full of wonder and excitement, is what a free market should look like: someone (me) investing in an idea and serving the surrounding community in the way I knew best. The people in the community are free to choose whether to buy the product or pay for the service. If the market conditions are right, the entrepreneur is compensated for his hard work.
In this free market, there is no one coming along to steal from his service, his business. There's no government looking to tax him. The prosperity was not created by a government bureaucracy and it should not be micromanaged by one. The prosperity remains decentralized and rightfully so. The individual is free to manage the fruits of his own labor. In my case, I bought my own modest car and donated the rest.
What we are seeing today is the opposite of free markets. Children who start lemonade stands are now targeted by government enforcers who force the children to shut down the lemonade stand or face permit fines.
The human spirit seeks to provide and share, to do work that matters, to serve and be independent. The government is now a vehicle that takes from these endeavors, forcing individuals to submit, comply, and become docile and dependent.
Teenagers face $450 permit fee for wanting to shovel the snow off neighbor's driveway
