Running Gag: Another Lemonade Stand Shut Down By Authorities

In another example of the increasing trend towards a nanny state, local authorities in Coralville, IA have shut down a 4-year-old girl's lemonade stand because she does not have the proper operating permit.

According to the city ordinance, the 4-year-old must apply for a permit and get a health inspection.

A health inspection for a lemonade stand?

The AP reports, "An officer told Abigail Krutsinger's father Friday that she couldn't run the stand as RAGBRAI bicyclers poured into Coralville. RAGBRAI is The Des Moines Register's Annual Great Bicycle Ride Across Iowa, which ended Saturday."

Little Krutsinger was clever in setting up a lemonade stand for an event that would naturally drive up the demand for her product. A bike race requires constant hydration and she decided to fulfill a need in the marketplace.

But rather than reward her individualism and entrepreneurial drive, local authorities are applying to a 4-year-old girl the same standards they apply to people her parent's age.

Abigail's father, Dustin Krutsinger, said the ordinance and its enforcers are going too far if they force a 4-year-old to abandon her lemonade stand.

One can only hope that Abigail has hired a good accountant for when local authorities demand that she file her personal property returns.