Monday, January 17, 2005

The State Can't Leave Well Enough Alone

Sticking their noses where they don’t belong…

Last Sunday, January 9th, there was a column in our local rag, The Grand Rapids Press, titled “‘Hot Dog Man’ feeds need for GR’s hungry."

The column was one of those feel good columns which relays a tale of individual altruism, which, in this example, has grown into a group of individuals who have decided, without the assistance of the State, to feed those who are homeless, or simply need a meal.  Every Tuesday, since 1996, this group of private individuals has, with their own funds and resources, fed some of the hungry in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Great, many of us might think, even if we disagree with alms giving, since no one has been coerced into participating in this particular form of altruistic hand out.  More power to them.  It’s a shame, though, that the State doesn’t see things this way.

You see, unnamed “officials” from this supposedly “cool city,” Grand Rapids, and from the Kent County Health Department, spied a picture taken and run with the column, which showed, heaven forbid, “hot-dog buns lying on a bare table.” And what did this espying result in?  This.

"It was determined that that operation did not conform to a regular food-service license, and that prompted us to contact (Flickinger),” said Dave Kraker, director of environmental health.

Kraker’s office told Flickinger that if he did not want to operate under a license—an expensive proposition calling for sophisticated kitchen regulations imposed by the Michigan Department of Agriculture—they could avoid some county scrutiny by cooking hot dogs in a private home."

So, the State, in order to rein in uncontrolled and rampant do gooders, shoves their nose where it doesn’t belong; because the State can’t have anyone thinking they can operate independently and individually; and puts the kibosh on private individuals performing an act of service which amielorates the very problem they are always whining about in order to coerce more tax dollars from the “citizens.”

The column which notes the State’s intrusion into the private acts of the above referenced individuals is titled “Last week’s column lands food program in hot water."

The State is not your friend, it is merely an instrument for control.

Posted by John Venlet on 01/17 at 04:17 AM
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