The Stone (Brewing) Bill

I'M ALL FOR THIS: SC Legislature has a bill pending to reduce the state regulations that would prevent brewpubs from operating.

Less government regulation = more freedom (and beer).

Government Confiscates Tuna

What should this guy have done differently? It seems like he did everything right, and the Government still took the fish away. Doesn't NOAA have anything better to do?

[H/T Uncle]

If You Can't Take the Heat, Stay Out of the Kitchen

In the last year, Columbia restaurants have seen competition from food-trucks. To be specific, there are currently four (4) licensed food-trucks serving the Columbia area: Pawley's; Bone-In; 2-Fat-2-Fly; and Alfreso Mobilista.

You would think that four little ol' food trucks wouldn't really cause too much concern to the established "brick and mortar" restaurants since the Columbia metropolitan area is a pretty well-populated place. Not so fast my friend.

I have previously documented the City of Columbia's attempt to regulate the food trucks at the behest of the Columbia restaurants. Now, the Columbia Restaurant Association is lobbying the City of Columbia to push even tougher regulations on food trucks.

The association for Columbia’s brick-and-mortar restaurants is asking City Council to place more restrictions on mobile food trucks that are becoming increasingly popular around the city.

Food trucks should remain half a block from stationary restaurants — 200 feet to be exact — and about four blocks (1,500 feet) from a restaurant that serves the same kinds of meals as food truck vendors, the Columbia Restaurant Association recommended in a Nov. 2 email to council members.

Further, the association wants food trucks to meet fire safety standards and other permits that immobile restaurants must meet.

This is a microcosm of the crony-capitalism we see at the Federal level. Columbia restaurants are trying to use the power of government, under the guise of "regulation" to construct barriers and increase costs to competitors in the marketplace. Rather than simply compete with the food-trucks on a level playing field, the restaurants are trying to use their lobbying power to drive their competitors out of business.

Also, the City Council doesn't need to be wasting time on restaurants vs. food-trucks unless they have every other more important issue already squared away. On the list of priorities for the City Council, regulating food trucks should be about #5,482,389. We have much more serious problems than whether the Bone-In BBQ food truck sets up "too close" to Harper's.

The restaurants don't want the market entirely free - they want assistance from the local government to help them. You know what: Fend for yourselves, you babies. Don't come in and ask the local government run your competitors off and have my tax dollars pay for the enforcement, because that's what they want to happen.

It is time for a substantial part of the government (at every level) to start saying: "Hey, it's not my job to do this." The problem is human nature intervenes and politicians at every level love grabbing more and more power over every aspect of daily life. Whenever you ask them to, they're usually happy to oblige.

I love restaurants in buildings, but that's not the point here. It's not the job of the Columbia City Council to take on the job of where food trucks can and cannot be. Everyone comes to the government with their hands out looking for a favor. Whether it is for subsidies, regulations on competitors, or whatever, it needs to stop.

Fend for yourselves, Columbia restaurants.

Assistant AG Breuer Knows What's Best for You

Assistant AG Lanny Breuer said this to Congress to justify more controls and regulation of guns:

“Very few hunters in the United States or sports people and law-abiding people really need to have semiautomatic weapons or long guns.”

Bless his little heart, but he's a moron. First, it makes me question if he even understands what "semiautomatic" means. What about revolvers? Is he cool with them? What if they're single-action? Is AG Breuer saying I really can't have a sidearm designed in prior to the outbreak of WWI?

Does AG Breuer even know anything about guns, or is he just using the word "semiautomatic" because it sounds like "automatic" if you mumble? Second, and more importantly, who is he to say whether or not I need a one or not? You know what? I don't think he needs a car. He should walk to work. You know...because cars are really dangerous. We don't even have an amendment protecting cars. Get those damn death machines off the road now.

And what the heck does need have to do with it? I don't need a whole bunch of things other than food, water, and shelter. I don't need this nice little MacBook Air that I'm blogging on, my lawnmower, or a grill in my backyard. Yet, I am allowed to have these, and I could probably kill you will all of them.

Third, and most importantly, the Constitution doesn't say "only arms for sporting and hunting purposes are protected." Maybe Assistant AG Breuer should should pick up a copy of a Con Law hornbook and do some reading. He's entitled to his opinion, but his opinion is irrelevant as far as the law is concerned. 

I'm constantly amazed at how many people try to take something that is their own private opinion and turn it into policy because they think they know best.

[H/T The Captain's Journal via Arms and the Law]

Richland County Council Tackles the Serious Issues

MORE IMPORTANT REGULATION: You know, like how many pets you're allowed to have.

One of these guys could become illegal. 

Costs Don't Just Magically Disappear

Remember Dodd-Frank? It was the sweeping law passed after the housing bubble that was going to regulate the banks and prevent them from being "casinos". Well, one of the things it did was to limit how much the bank can charge retailers on debit-card transactions. Ok, so let's see if we can do some logic: Price of providing debit-card transactions to the bank stays the same. The fees they charged have now been reduced to about half. What does the bank do? Well, they try to not lose money. Legal Insurrection has a good post on this issue.

It's pretty simple to me. If you tell a business that it has to charge half price for a certain produce (debit card use) they're going to raise the price in a corresponding amount on a different product. Duh. Apparently, our legislature is shocked, SHOCKED that businesses want to make money.

Columbia Food Trucks Under Assault

Think that job-killing regulations are just a Federal problem? Think again. Columbia is just recently experiencing a food truck revival, which has brought great food and a wonderful sense of style to our little town. However, the City Council has passed a stupid regulation:

Starting in February, any vendor who wants to set up shop on private property to sell anything from puppies to produce must have written permission from the landowner. They also must provide city officials with drawings of the sites they frequent and must meet zoning requirements, especially having sufficient parking spaces.

This is ridiculous. If I, as a private property owner, want to invite a food truck to come to my business, I have to draft and execute a written agreement. Then, the food truck has to go down to the City of Columbia and provide a government clerk with a copy of that agreement, provide a drawing of the site, and must jump through other hoops, and probably fill out a couple forms...and probably pay some sort of fee. I would think that permission from the property owner should be sufficient.

Keep in mind that the government is only open Monday - Friday from 8:30AM to 5:00PM, also. If I (as a business owner) wanted to do an event with a Food Truck on a Saturday as a spontaneous event because I had an unexpectedly large turnout at my store, that would be illegal. Heaven forbid the City of Columbia doesn't get to approve a little form saying that I can have some people over to sell tacos from a truck.

Don't forget, the food trucks are already licensed. They have a business license and they pay sales taxes, so they're already generating money for the government. Now they're going to have get an additional license and jump through more hoops: to sell food out of a truck. Seriously guys? Can I just eat my BBQ in peace?

Our City Government needs to focus on the serious problems facing Columbia. Food trucks selling me delicious BBQ are not one of them. The City is saying that this is an "unintended consequence", and that they're trying to get at other people, but what's the deal with that? Are we having an epidemic of moving flea markets? Is that the biggest problem we have now as a City? This is just another example of the over-regulation that is running rampant at every level of government in America. Keep your regulations off my food truck!