Police State: City Shuts Down Hot Dog Stand Boy Opened To Help Disabled Parents...

[signelect]

This young man should be an inspiration for all young people and the zoning department sucks. I am guessing that one of the tax payer resturants make the call and make it clear they would take action. Good for them, sell well tonight.

 

[hortysir]

I really don't want a 13 year old selling food products.

Especially something as potentially hazardous as hot dogs

 

[Quantum Windbag]

This story was pretty sad..this is what happens with a overbearing Government..

they can give and they can take it away..

This is more a story of how established businesses collude to prevent small businesses from gaining a foothold and threatening the commerce they have already cornered.

On a very small scale this is an example of what can go wrong when the tentacles of Fascism reach into even the small towns. Clearly there is an unhealthy relationship between the forces of the existing businesses and the local government.

The issue is free enterprise vs unfair restriction of competition.

The local government is only acting on the preasure being applied by the colluding establishment.

I agree that it is wrong but you have pointed your anger at the wrong people. I can assure you that if the local businesses were not pushing to shut down any competition there would be no issue at all.

We shouldn't be upset with the government when they do something stupid? Are you fracking crazy?

 

[Quantum Windbag]

This story was pretty sad..this is what happens with a overbearing Government..

they can give and they can take it away..

And by overbearing government you mean a local government led by a republican mayor, of course.

No, by overbearing government she means overbearing government. Just because you are a hack doesn't mean everyone else is.

 

[Uncensored2008]

Well, let me take an educated guess here, and by all means correct me if I'm wrong, if his parents are legitimately disabled, they are eligible for government disability benefits, among others, most of which these 'small government' types would happily eliminate.

To rational and reasonable people, i.e. non-leftists, words and phrases have meanings. "Able Bodied" has a specific meaning, and "disabled" by necessity does not fit that meaning.

Look, you're just a demagogue spewing bullshit, I get it. Still, that was a pretty fucking stupid statement, doncha think

In their perfect world, the parents would be absolutely destitute, but, on the bright side,

their 13 YEAR OLD SON would be able to work his ass off anywhere he wanted in order to keep them alive.

Yep, that's the America the rightwing/libertarian types dream of ...

If you weren't so stupid, you wouldn't be a leftist.

True fact! ^^^

 

[oldernwiser]

All the kid has to do is move to an area where it is allowed

Gotta protect small business don't we?

The kid is a small business. Where is his protection?

Apparently, the kid is only entitled to protection if he pays property taxes.

It's one thing to be an entrepreneur, but it's MUCH better to be a tax-paying entrepreneur.

 

[Uncensored2008]

Apparently, the kid is only entitled to protection if he pays property taxes.

It's one thing to be an entrepreneur, but it's MUCH better to be a tax-paying entrepreneur.

Carl Karcher Enterprises started as a hot dog cart, now pays property taxes in 30 states.

 

[auditor0007]

The zoning law is legitimate; I don't have a problem with it; however, since the boy and his mother inquired about licenses, the city should have informed them about the ordinance. Since the city did not inform them of the ordinance even when they asked about licensing, the city should buy the cart back from the kid. Had they informed him of the ordinance, he never would have bought it in the first place.

 

[oldernwiser]

Our Government only stands in the way of small business entrepreneurs these days. They make it so difficult for someone to get started. Big Brother needs to get off the Peoples' backs. Enough is enough.

I think you missed the point on this one. In this instance, government is working as the strong-arm for the local businesses who undoubtedly would be hurt by competition if mobile vendors ate their clientele.

This is just another reason why people need to understand politics at the local level too. Ordinances like this get passed with just a nod because not enough voters have a dog in the fight, or just don't have time to pick up on the ramifications - at least until they try to open a hot dog stand. It's up to US to tell government what they can and cannot do. When WE fail to live up to that, can we really blame politicos for working with those who do?

 

[oldernwiser]

The zoning law is legitimate; I don't have a problem with it; however, since the boy and his mother inquired about licenses, the city should have informed them about the ordinance. Since the city did not inform them of the ordinance even when they asked about licensing, the city should buy the cart back from the kid. Had they informed him of the ordinance, he never would have bought it in the first place.

Why would it be the city's responsibility to even ask where he planned on setting up? It's a mobile cart and could go anywhere. The kid did pay due diligence to licensing et al, but failed to research current zoning laws. It was up to HIM to make sure his intended site was proper - and that means doing more than counting the number of prospective diners passing by at lunch time.

 

[Skull Pilot]

Our Government only stands in the way of small business entrepreneurs these days. They make it so difficult for someone to get started. Big Brother needs to get off the Peoples' backs. Enough is enough.

The restaurants in the area who are actually paying taxes are small businesses too. Part of those taxes go to protect them from fly by night competition who do not pay taxes

If you want a hot dog cart, you have to learn what areas you are allowed to set up in.

If one kid selling a few hot dogs is going to put a restaurant out of business then that restaurant has other issues.

Personally if I lived in that town I would not patronize any business that persecuted this kid for trying to help out his parents.

 

[asaratis]

This story tugs on one's heart strings. It enrages some and makes others shrug. However, there are local laws and regulations associated with most every business. These must be followed...or they must be repealed. It's that simple, folks. We live mostly under the rule of law...everywhere in the USA. Some places are lax...some are strict...some are in between depending on which ordinances are to be strictly observed and which are to be ignored.

 

[Skull Pilot]

Blind obedience: the number one goal of the system

 

[Uncensored2008]

The zoning law is legitimate; I don't have a problem with it; however, since the boy and his mother inquired about licenses, the city should have informed them about the ordinance. Since the city did not inform them of the ordinance even when they asked about licensing, the city should buy the cart back from the kid. Had they informed him of the ordinance, he never would have bought it in the first place.

We get kickbacks from deez establishments, so yooz betta steer clear of dems, capiche?

 

[Quantum Windbag]

This story tugs on one's heart strings. It enrages some and makes others shrug. However, there are local laws and regulations associated with most every business. These must be followed...or they must be repealed. It's that simple, folks. We live mostly under the rule of law...everywhere in the USA. Some places are lax...some are strict...some are in between depending on which ordinances are to be strictly observed and which are to be ignored.

Don't tell Gandhi that, he got famous disobeying laws.

Come to think of it, so did Rosa Parks.

 

[NYcarbineer]

This story was pretty sad..this is what happens with a overbearing Government..

they can give and they can take it away..

This is more a story of how established businesses collude to prevent small businesses from gaining a foothold and threatening the commerce they have already cornered.

On a very small scale this is an example of what can go wrong when the tentacles of Fascism reach into even the small towns. Clearly there is an unhealthy relationship between the forces of the existing businesses and the local government.

The issue is free enterprise vs unfair restriction of competition.

The local government is only acting on the preasure being applied by the colluding establishment.

I agree that it is wrong but you have pointed your anger at the wrong people. I can assure you that if the local businesses were not pushing to shut down any competition there would be no issue at all.

We shouldn't be upset with the government when they do something stupid? Are you fracking crazy?

The kid put all his savings into a business that he should have been able to figure out was only viable if he was allowed to operate it outside the law of the city he lives in.

I'd say he was the stupid one.

 

[NYcarbineer]

Sometimes Paul posts the most insignificant stories

I wonder if he came to the defense of the occupy wall streeters in regards to their many violations of city zoning, ordinances, rules, regulations etc.

I don't recall. Maybe he'll remind us.

I have defended Occupiers on many occasions, in regard to Big Brother's handling of their protests. Big Brother was often way too heavy-handed in dealing with Occupy protests.

I don't suppose you could prove that could you, especially in a way relevant to the thread, i.e., that you defended the OWS'ers right to break laws.

 

[NYcarbineer]

There was an incident like this on an episode of 'the Glades' a while back. Except it had a murder.

 

[Quantum Windbag]

This is more a story of how established businesses collude to prevent small businesses from gaining a foothold and threatening the commerce they have already cornered.

On a very small scale this is an example of what can go wrong when the tentacles of Fascism reach into even the small towns. Clearly there is an unhealthy relationship between the forces of the existing businesses and the local government.

The issue is free enterprise vs unfair restriction of competition.

The local government is only acting on the preasure being applied by the colluding establishment.

I agree that it is wrong but you have pointed your anger at the wrong people. I can assure you that if the local businesses were not pushing to shut down any competition there would be no issue at all.

We shouldn't be upset with the government when they do something stupid? Are you fracking crazy?

The kid put all his savings into a business that he should have been able to figure out was only viable if he was allowed to operate it outside the law of the city he lives in.

I'd say he was the stupid one.

He was stupid because he went and asked the government if there would be a problem with him running a hot dog stand, and they told him no?

Want to try again, or are you simply a hack statist?

 

[Intense]

Such a big heart ole Big Brother has, huh?


This summer, 13-year-old Nathan Duszynski wanted to make some money to help out his disabled parents—his mom has epilepsy and his dad has multiple sclerosis. So he decided to open a hot dog stand. He saved $1,200, mostly money made by mowing lawns and shoveling snow. He checked with the city to make sure he didn't need any licenses or permits, even going to city hall in person with his mom. And then he bought a cart. (Yep, that's hot dogs from Nathan's, for those who are keeping score at home.)

He arrived to set up shop on his first day and 10 minutes later, a zoning official arrived to shut him down. The problem: The cart, which is in the parking lot of a sporting goods store, is on the edge of official downtown commercial district of Holland, Michigan. The city bans food carts in that area in order to minimize competition for the eight tax-paying restaurants a couple of blocks away.

As it happens, I've been to Holland. It's a lovely town, but not exactly a booming metropolis. And frankly (ha!), after an evening of Blue Motorcycles Butch's Dry Dock, a hot dog would really have hit the spot. The city says it is willing to work with Nathan, but keeping food carts out of the small, walkable downtown area is pretty much the same thing as banning food carts altogether. Nathan and his family obviously know that: The hot dog cart is now for sale.

The Mackinac Center has made a nice little video about the ridiculous story:

City Shuts Down Teen's Hot Dog Vendor Cart! - YouTube

The big problem for me, was that he checked first, and was given a Green Light. That is poor form. He should be reimbursed all expenses. Maybe the City Council could buy the Cart at Cost, and then Shut Themselves down the first time they use it, paying double fines. Assholes.