Disneyland, Lemonade, and Government Bureaucracy

It's already hard to be a good parent and instill good values into your children. Too many children do not have the proper guidance to help them develop in to mature and responsible adults. Thats why it is refreshing to see that 7 year old Daniella Earnest has two parents that are trying to teach her the value of hard work and the benefits that come with it.

When Daniella told her parents that she wanted to go to Disneyland, they told her she had to earn it. So Daniella decided to fall back upon the great American institution that is The Lemonade Stand.

Now, Daniella and her family live in rural Tulare, California and the family home is on a country road that doesn't see very much traffic. So Daniella and her Mom decided to set up shop on a fairly busy country intersection near their home. The spot was perfect, there was a big vacant lot adjacent to the street and plenty of space for vehicles to pull in and out safely, best of all, lots of thirsty drivers. They were selling a 32oz glass of Lemonade for $2, a bargain in this economy.

Daniella was going to have those Disneyland tickets in no time.Unfortunately, even in Tulare, the little guy, or in this case, the little lady can't make a buck with out the government getting involved. A Tulare City Code Enforcement Officer came and shut down Daniella's lemonade stand because, according to the Officer, the intersection was "unsafe." But as if breaking a little girls heart wasn't enough, the Code Enforcement Officer told Daniella and her Mother that they were violating county law because they're roadside Lemonade Stand was operating without a permit.

Now I understand that laws are in place for our protection, but honestly, what is the harm? Daniella wasn't on the side of the road by herself. She was under the watchful eye of her Mother, so the safety issue seems a little moot. Was this Code Enforcement Officer having a bad day and decided that CRUSHING the hopes of a little child would make him feel better? Is Tulare County (which is located in the BANKRUPT state of California) in such bad financial shape that you have to shake down a little kid trying to sell lemonade by the roadside?

Okay, okay. So thats unfair and inflammatory. The Code Enforcement Officer is probably a hard working civil servant who was just doing his job... Maybe a little too well. So again in the spirit of teaching their daughter a valuable lesson, Daniella's parents decided to appeal to the Tulare city council and get the decision reversed. Daniella had set out only to earn money for Disneyland, and boy had she gotten more than she bargained for. Now she was getting a front row education in government bureaucracy. The City Council didn't overturn the Code Enforcement Officers decision but they did offer to help Daniella find a better place to sell her lemonade.

Now like any good story about getting to Disneyland, there needs to be a touch of magic. A local radio station had heard about Daniella's situation and decided to help. The folks at the radio station could have just given her free Disneyland tickets and been done with it, but in keeping with the lesson that Daniella's parents were trying to teach her in the first place, the Radio folks made her earn it. They exchanged 4 two-day tickets to Disneyland for 30 32oz glasses of Lemonade. I know, you're probably trying to do the math in your head, let me save you the trouble, Daniella got $500 worth of Disneyland tickets for $60 worth of lemonade.

That is a SWEET deal. The SOUR part of course was that the valuable lesson her parents were trying to teach her was tempered with an unexpected life lesson; Never underestimate the reach or audacity of government. But hey, Life is an awful lot like lemonade, you take the SWEET with the SOUR. Have fun at Disneyland, kiddo.
Admiral Duke