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I think it's hilarious that Forbes is framing this sort of thing as crazy-berserk anti-business activity, when it's just a valid to interpret it as pro-big-busi

I think it's hilarious that Forbes is framing this sort of thing as crazy-berserk anti-business activity, when it's just a valid to interpret it as pro-big-business activity. The fees and licenses are barriers to entry that prevent established businesses from having to compete with a thousand nobodies. To an established business, the permit and license costs are trivial. Once your food stand / hot dog cart business reaches a certain level of reliable revenue, it's rational to support increases in license costs for this very reason. I don't know, of course, but it wouldn't surprise me to learn that this is exactly what happened.

DanBC 15y ago
For sure, have the barriers for actual businesses to prevent people using illegal labor or unclean premises or etc etc etc. But it makes no sense to apply it to 7 year olds selling a bit of lemonade over a couple of weekends!
mwsherman 15y ago
You’re right, and article does make that point: “many of the regulations that come down the pipeline are pushed by brick-and-mortar competitors who want to keep competition at a minimum”
smokeyj 15y ago
I believe in principle you can only be pro-business or anti-business. If 'pro-big-business' means keeping some people out of business to make more business for other business, that isn't business at all -- rather a rehash of violent coercion comparable to the regular operations of mafias and gangs. In essence, established business -- like a mafia, is staking their territory and using their strong-arm (cops) as muscle, to stifle competition and maintain their monopoly. These kids did not have permission from any 'family leaders', therefore their operation was disassembled.
- anigbrowl 15y ago
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_true_Scotsman http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_true_Scotsman
  - smokeyj 15y ago
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non_sequitur_%28logic%29 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non_sequitur_%28logic%29
- mikeash 15y ago
  In practice, there are a lot of artificial factors which favor large businesses, and wanting to get rid of those essentially makes one "anti-big-business" even though the desire is simply to level the playing field.

DanBC 15y ago

For sure, have the barriers for actual businesses to prevent people using illegal labor or unclean premises or etc etc etc. But it makes no sense to apply it to 7 year olds selling a bit of lemonade over a couple of weekends!

mwsherman 15y ago

You’re right, and article does make that point: “many of the regulations that come down the pipeline are pushed by brick-and-mortar competitors who want to keep competition at a minimum”

smokeyj 15y ago

I believe in principle you can only be pro-business or anti-business. If 'pro-big-business' means keeping some people out of business to make more business for other business, that isn't business at all -- rather a rehash of violent coercion comparable to the regular operations of mafias and gangs. In essence, established business -- like a mafia, is staking their territory and using their strong-arm (cops) as muscle, to stifle competition and maintain their monopoly. These kids did not have permission from any 'family leaders', therefore their operation was disassembled.

anigbrowl 15y ago
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_true_Scotsman http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No_true_Scotsman
- smokeyj 15y ago
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non_sequitur_%28logic%29 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Non_sequitur_%28logic%29
mikeash 15y ago
In practice, there are a lot of artificial factors which favor large businesses, and wanting to get rid of those essentially makes one "anti-big-business" even though the desire is simply to level the playing field.