Government Limousines, Lemonade Freedom Day, and the Regulation Roundup

Government Limousines

As President Obama waxes poetic about “corporate jets,” his own administration is significantly expanding the fleet of government-owned limousines.

Vice President for Strategy Iain Murray comments.

“President Obama has made a big deal out of corporate jets. Apparently they are a symbol not of success but of greed. Yet even as the private jet marked has lagged with the ongoing recession, President Obama’s own employees in his administration have significantly increased the number of limousines available for their travel.”

Lemonade Freedom Day

This past Saturday was “Lemonade Freedom Day,” a day when parents were encouraged to help their children set up (illegal!) lemonade stands to make a point about bureaucratic idiocy.

Fellow in Regulatory Studies Ryan Young responds to critics who say parents should have used the opportunity to teach kids about the many steps required to start a legal business.

“A trip to city hall would be an excellent way to teach the young ones about opportunity costs. Show them the forms they have to fill out. The licenses they have to apply for. How long permits take to process. Take them to the store and show them how long it takes to buy and install a handwashing station; many towns require lemonade stands to have at least one. Then tell them they could have spent all that time actually selling lemonade.”

Regulation Roundup

If you’ve ever been in a duel, you may not be a first responder in Kentucky.

Ryan Young presents this and more strange regulations still on the books in his Regulation Roundup.