Just Another Useless Law

By Semperpapa

The demonstration of a government out of control, at times, shows in very small details, as in the uselessness of some of the legislation imposed on the citizens.

There is a law in Washington D.C. that makes it illegal to make any kind of public speech from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial without a permit from the Park Police.

When Monday, President Day, 25 year old Phillip Howell tried to recite the words of the Gettysburg Address form the same place Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his “I Have a Dream” speech, he was quickly approached and stopped by the Park Police.

Mr. Howell left the place on the top of the steps for the bottom of them and finished its recital of the famous Lincoln speech, to the cheers of few tourists.

But when a friend of his decided to pass around a hat for few dollars, the two were again approached by the officer who detained them and fined them for not having a permit for that enterprise.

The law, as explained by Park Police officials, is designed to safeguard the treasure of our National monuments, and I may agree with that if Mr. Howell had been preaching some sort of political message.

But an historical reference to American heritage, on the day the country celebrates the Presidents, does not qualify for such a response.

Even the slightly dubious action of passing the hat is not really that big of a deal, underscoring how much the establishment has gone astray in its attempt to stifle one of American strengths: entrepreneurship.

How many stories we have seen over the summer, about city officials going after young children for their lemonade stands? Or some farmer’s child for having a fruit stand? And all because they did not have a city permit.

And it is my fear that the trend will not get any better, as cash strapped municipalities are more intent on squeezing every dollar out of the American people instead of seriously addressing their unnecessary spending fetish.

Just my thoughts!