Black Market Candy Bars
Black-market in Mars, Hershey and other candy bars.
About a year ago the Boulder Valley School District decided to eliminate candy bars and soda (pop) from the schools vending machines. The school management replaced the items with apples and bottled water. The entrepreneurial spirit of young Americans sprang to the defense of personal choice with an example of free enterprise in action.
At Fairview High School, almost instantly, students with open trunks were in the parking lot selling candy bars and chilled sodas out of coolers. It was reported that some students made significant profit in a short amount of time. The befuddled administration fumbled with responses that thankfully fell short of bringing in chocolate search dogs to the locker room to find out who was buying the black-market candy.
As time passed there became competition in the marketplace and the selling of trunk candy became less profitable and the attention of the school district has wandered to other issues.
I am reminded of this issue by a report of a proposal by the New York Governor to place a tax on beverages sweetened with sugar but exempt those that are artificially sweetened. Can’t you feel the unexpected consequences lining up waiting for this stupid idea to pass..
There is little doubt that the always thinking New York populace will figure out a way around legislation concerning their sugar sweetened beverages. Will this apply to a cup of tea in a restaurant?
It seems we are becoming regulated and governed by somewhat wacky individuals who are convinced that they should make our decisions as to life style for us. Individual responsibility for choice is seemingly a diminishing part of our life in America.
I am sure that the revolution is coming. Not a violent revolution but as sure as those kids at Fairview High responded to an attempt to regulate their freedom of snack choices, the independent spirit of Americans will be once again heightened by the growing list of burdensome regulations and taxes that are contrary to the wishes of the population.
Fortunately our options extend beyond throwing tea into the harbor. We can figuratively throw the regulators and politicians into the “out of office” harbor when they sensisly inhibit our enjoyment of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
Let’s make common sense and trust in the individual citizens ability to make decisions as the base qualification inherent in those we hire (elect) to positions of responsibility.
This reminds me of something that happened in Delaware. Governor Minner banded smoking in all public places, including nightclubs. This law devasted the nightclub life, forcing those who wished to smoke outside, then returning inside, those individuals lost their seats, thus losing the items they had left at their seat, starting fights, etc.
Now, of couse smoking is bad for your health, we all know that. But, are we children or adults here? Children should not be around smoke, but children are not allowed in a nightclub. You need to be 21 to get into any nightclub. Why? Because, at 21 or older, you should be mature enough to handle your alcohol. At 21, shouldn’t you then know how to handle smoke? Shouldn’t this be a choice and not a law?
To top it off, aren’t you always supposed to wear a helmit when you are riding a bike? In Pennsylvania, it used to be a law that if you rode a motorcycle, you were required to wear a helmit. Not so in Delaware.
So, to sum it up……we are being treated as children when it comes to smoking, however, Mama does’t care if we ride out bikes at 65 MPR without head protection.
I once asked a friend who has a motorcycle and always wears a helmet when riding, why the Harley riders that roar up my canyon on Sundays don’t wear helmets. His answer was:
“That’s because they have nothing to protect up there”
Buck
Next thing you know powers that be will want to regulate your home thermostat to ward of global warming. Oops! That’s already in progress. Calif. legislature votes on this at the end of January.