While I'm glad that lawmakers are prohibiting LEAs from harrassing kids with lemonade stands, I completely agree that they shouldn't have to. It's another example of the overburden of bureaucracy and lawfare Americans struggle with today, and it is high time we ended that excessive drag on our enterprise.

I note that the particular legislation you quote prohibits kids from having a stand within 200 feet of a business selling beverages, and I can see why such businesses would be unhappy with kids sellling pure, wholesome handcrafted lemonade, as there are probably not many canned sodas that can compete on a sunny day.

When my kids were nearing their teens, I built them a pretty nice lemonade bar, found some stars and stripes bunting, made a deal with a local farmer's market for lemons, and cleared them some space in front of a commercial building I owned fronting Highway 101. Out of the blue, the state began repairing a bridge right next door, and traffic backed up for a mile.

After one of the flaggers for the construction crew had a glass, all of them became regulars, and as cars approached the flagging point, they'd engage drivers and recommend the boys work.

My sons were making $20/hour squeezing lemons. We had to order lemons from three different vendors to keep up. Two stores sold beverages across the street, and one of the owners came by to discuss the matter with me. I told him to stay on his side of the street, and if he wanted to compete, he could squeeze his own lemons.

That was the end of the discussion LOL.

That was highly educational for my kids (an important part of their homeschool curriculum), and beneficial for those that were availed of the fresh squeezed lemonade - a far better product than you can buy in a can. It was a small town in a very rural area and no Sheriff came by, but if they had I'd have offered them a glass, and pointed out the good that was coming from it. I'm pretty sure there'd have been no trouble with local law enforcement after that.

However, I can see how more urban settings might not be so conducive to entrepreneurial kids competing with their businesses. A better man might offer kids a spot in their parking lot, in exchange for a small percentage of the take, and I'd have encouraged my kids to do that. Most city folk wouldn't do that, I think, and that's a sad comment on America today.

Thanks!