The Oval: Bake Sale Blues

May 23, 2012

Writer

Good afternoon.

My fellow Americans, today, the youth unemployment rate is at 25 percent.

Many young Americans, graduating from high school or college, are returning to live at home, because they can’t get a job.

Employers report that they are having a hard time filling open jobs because young adults don’t have the skills they need.

They report that many recent hires require significant training, just to get them ready to work. Show up on time. Learn from mistakes. Be more productive. Skills that any worker needs to know – but today’s young adults still don’t know.

What is the government’s response to all this?

What emergency action is the government taking to immerse our kids in the world of work… and get them ready to participate in our economy?

Create incentives for employers to set up apprenticeship programs?

No.

Force schools to focus on labor market skills?

No.

Strengthen after-school programs so students can work closely with entrepreneurs?

Again…. No.

We are seeing instead a different government approach.

The government is sending out armies of enforcement officers, to shut down lemonade stands and bake sales.

Yup, you heard that right.

Kids setting out tables, selling lemonade to raise money for charity… or for a school trip… or just for the fun of it… are being shut down.

In Massachusetts, they banned bake sales at school during the day and are working on banning them in the evening, too. Last time I checked, these bake sales helped put uniforms on student athletes, paid for textbooks, and taught kids the value of hard work.

In Appleton, Wisconsin, 9-year-old Lydia Coenen and her sister Vivian run a lemonade stand during the local Car Show. It wasn’t a big money-maker. Four kids would make $100 between them. Well, the vendors inside the car show complained. They didn’t want to compete with a bunch of cute kids. So what did the city council do? They banned the kids from selling lemonade.

Midway Georgia wanted to charge Kasity Dixon, 14, Tiffany Cassin, 12, andSkylar Roberts, 10, $50 for a permit to sell lemonade.

Coralville, Iowa shut down a lemonade stand run by 4-year-old Abigail Krutsinger. FOUR YEARS OLD.

In Hazlewood, Missouri, they banned two young girl scouts from selling Girl Scout cookies from their front yard. Why? A city law bans the “sale of commodities” from a home. So I guess Girl Scout cookies are like pork belly futures and rolls of copper.

I could go on and on. And you know, when we see these stories, we see the same thing. Public outcry. Elected officials try to explain. Public still upset. But in the end, the elected officials and city managers stick to their guns. So, no lemonade stands. No bake sales. No Girl Scout cookies. And we just move on.

But I wonder.

What are American kids learning about work… and entrepreneurship… and the leering power of government?

What are we teaching our kids?

Here is what I fear:

Our kids are learning, first of all, that if you want to make money, you need permission from the government. So they’re learning to be passive.

Our kids are learning, second, that if you want to make money, you need to pay powerful people first. So they’re learning about coercion and bribery.

Our kids are learning, third, that if you want to make money, you need to have money. So they’re learning about oligopolies.

Our kids are learning, fourth, that if you want to have a business, don’t let your neighbors and friends see you trying. They might call the cops! So they’re learning about rent seeking and NIMBYism.

These are terrible lessons to learn at any age.

And now we see the effects.

We have a generation of young Americans who have been raised to be passive. Powerless. To stand silent and mute at the mercy of the all-powerful government.

And so why are we surprised that when they graduate from school and enter the workforce, they are utterly unprepared? Why is it that when they have to show initiative… innovation… hard work… commitment… they can’t?

Look at what we teach them when they try. We shut down their bake sales. Lemonade stands. Girl Scout cookie tables.

We don’t give our kids a chance to learn how to work. How to sell. How to invent. We just don’t. We actually try to drum it out of them at a young age.

I’m not suggesting that we push our kids into work at a young age. They should be learning. Having fun. Opening up their minds.

But isn’t that what having a lemonade stand is? A lemonade stand is not going to be a big corporation, spoiling the environment. It’s not going to put some big lemonade company out of business. It won’t ship jobs overseas.

It’s fun. It’s about learning. It’s about just trying something new. It’s what kids do.

But I wonder. Maybe by putting these kids out of business…we are teaching them a lesson they need to know.

I mean, think about it: Aren’t business leaders around the country complaining about how hard it is to deal with the government these days? Aren’t they afraid of the power of government litigation and regulation… the risk that one day, a man in a suit with a government badge will just shut them down? Didn’t a government official just recently brag about how he “crucifies” businesses, just to set an example?

So maybe shutting down lemonade stands IS a good idea.

Maybe, just maybe, we are preparing our kids for the real world after all.

Or maybe, we’ve just lost our way. Maybe we could stop this.

On June 13, join me and get out there and put out a lemonade stand. Hold a bake sale. Do it with your kids. Let your kids take charge. If you can’t do it yourself, go and support someone who does. It’s important. We don’t have to let our kids learn all the wrong lessons about what it means to be free. We can be better than this.

Thanks for watching. May God bless you, and may God bless the Republic.

What happens if Trump wins from prison?

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If Donald Trump is sentenced to prison time, it will be the first time in American history that a former president and active presidential candidate is thrown behind bars. Nobody knows for sure what exactly will happen.

With the election only a few months away, the left is working overtime to come up with any means of beating Trump, including tying him up in court or even throwing him in jail. Glenn recently had former U.S. DoJ Assistant Attorney General and Center for Renewing America senior fellow Jeff Clark on his show to discuss the recent resurrection of the classified documents case against Trump and what that could mean for the upcoming election. Clark explains that despite the immunity ruling from the Supreme Court this summer, he thinks there is a decent chance of a prison sentence.

What would that even look like if it happened? This is a completely unprecedented series of events and virtually every step is filled with potential unknowns. Would the Secret Service protect him in prison? What if he won from his jail cell? How would the American people respond? While no one can be certain for sure, here's what Glenn and Jeff Clark speculate might happen:

Jail time

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Can they even put a former president in prison? Jeff Clark seemed to think they can, and he brought up that New York County District Attorney, Alvin Bragg, had been talking with the New York jail system about making accommodations for Trump and the Secret Service assigned to protect him. Clark said he believes that if they sentence him before the election, Trump could be made to serve out his sentence until his inauguration, assuming he wins. After his inauguration, Clark said Trump's imprisonment would have to be suspended or canceled, as his constitutional duty as president would preempt the conviction by New York State.

House arrest

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Another possibility is that Trump could be placed under house arrest instead of imprisoned. This would make more sense from a security standpoint—it would be easier to protect Trump in his own home versus in prison. But, this would deny the Left the satisfaction of actually locking Trump behind bars, so it seems less likely. Either in prison or under house arrest, the effect is the same, Trump would be kept off the campaign trail during the most crucial leg of the election. It doesn't matter which way you spin it—this seems like election interference. Glenn even floated the idea of campaigning on behalf of Trump to help combat the injustice.

Public outrage

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It is clear to many Americans that this whole charade is little more than a thinly-veiled attempt to keep Trump out of office by any means necessary. If this attempt at lawfare succeeds, and Trump is thrown in jail, the American people likely will not have it. Any doubt that America has become a Banana Republic will be put to rest. How will anyone trust in any sort of official proceedings or elections ever again? One can only imagine what the reaction will be. If the past is any indication, it's unlikely to be peaceful.

POLL: What topics do YOU want Trump and Harris to debate?

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Does Kamala Harris stand a chance against Donald Trump in a debate?

Next week, during the second presidential debate, we will find out. The debate is scheduled for September 10th and will be hosted by ABC anchors David Muir and Linsey Davis. This will be the second presidential debate, but the first for VP Kamala Harris, and will feature the same rules as the first debate. The rules are: no notes, no chairs, no live audience, and the debater's microphone will only be turned on when it is his or her turn to speak.

This will be the first time Trump and Harris clash face-to-face, and the outcome could have a massive effect on the outcome of the election. Trump has been preparing by ramping up his campaign schedule. He plans to hold multiple rallies and speak at several events across the next several days. He wants to be prepared to face any question that might come his way, and meeting and interacting with both voters and the press seems to be Trump's preferred preparation approach.

With the multitude of issues plaguing our nation, there are a lot of potential topics that could be brought up. From the economy to the ongoing "lawfare" being waged against the former president, what topics do YOU want Harris and Trump to debate?

The economy (and why the Biden-Harris administration hasn't fixed it yet)

The Southern Border crisis (and Kamala's performance as border czar)

Climate change (and how Trump pulled out of the Paris Agreement)

The "lawfare" being waged against Trump (and what Trump would do if he were thrown in prison)

Voting and election security (and how to deal with the possibility that illegal immigrants are voting)

3 ways the Constitution foils progressive authoritarianism

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This is why it is important to understand our history.

Over the weekend, the New York Times published a controversial article claiming the Constitution is a danger to the country and a threat to democracy. To those who have taken a high school American government class or have followed Glenn for a while, this claim might seem incongruent with reality. That's because Jennifer Szalai, the author the piece, isn't thinking of the Constitution as it was intended to be—a restraint on government to protect individual rights—but instead as a roadblock that is hindering the installation of a progressive oligarchy.

Glenn recently covered this unbelievable article during his show and revealed the telling critiques Szalai made of our founding document. She called it an "anti-democratic" document and argued it is flawed because Donald Trump used it to become president (sort of like how every other president achieved their office). From here, Szalai went off the deep end and made some suggestions to "fix" the Constitution, including breaking California and other blue states away from the union to create a coastal progressive utopia.

Here are three of the "flaws" Szalai pointed out in the Constitution that interfere with the Left's authoritarian dreams:

1. The Electoral College

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The New York Times article brought up the fact that in 2016 President Trump lost the popular vote but won the Electoral College, and thus won the election. This, as Szalai pointed out, is not democratic. Strictly speaking, she is right. But as Glenn has pointed out time and time again, America is not a democracy! The Founding Fathers did not want the president to be decided by a simple majority of 51 percent of the population. The Electoral College is designed to provide minority groups with a voice, giving them a say in the presidential election. Without the Electoral College, a simple majority would dominate elections and America would fall under the tyranny of the masses.

2. The Supreme Court

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President Biden and other progressives have thrown around the idea of reforming the Supreme Court simply because it has made a few rulings they disagree with. Glenn points out that when a country decides to start monkeying around with their high courts, it is usually a sign they are becoming a banana republic. Szalai complained that Trump was allowed to appoint three justices. Two of them were confirmed by senators representing just 44 percent of the population, and they overturned Roe v. Wade. All of this is Constitutional by Szalai's admission, and because she disagreed with it, she argued the whole document should be scrapped.

3. Republicanism

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To clarify, were not talking about the Republican Party Republicanism, but instead the form of government made up of a collection of elected representatives who govern on the behalf of their constituents. This seems to be a repeat sticking point for liberals, who insist conservatives and Donald Trump are out to destroy "democracy" (a system of government that never existed in America). This mix-up explains Szalai's nonsensical interpretation of how the Constitution functions. She criticized the Constitution as "anti-democratic" and a threat to American democracy. If the Constitution is the nation's framework, and if it is "anti-democratic" then how is it a threat to American democracy? This paradox is easily avoided with the understanding that America isn't a democracy, and it never has been.

Kamala Harris' first interview as nominee: Three SHOCKING policy flips

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On Thursday, Kamala Harris gave her first interview since Joe Biden stepped down from the race, and it quickly becameclear why she waited so long.

Harris struggled to keep her story straight as CNN's Dana Bash questioned her about recent comments she had made that contradicted her previous policy statements. She kept on repeating that her "values haven't changed," but it is difficult to see how that can be true alongside her radical shift in policy. Either her values have changed or she is lying about her change in policy to win votes. You decide which seems more likely.

During the interview, Harris doubled down on her policy flip on fracking, the border, and even her use of the race card. Here are her top three flip-flops from the interview:

Fracking

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In 2019, during the 2020 presidential election, Harris pledged her full support behind a federal ban on fracking during a town hall event. But, during the DNC and again in this recent interview, Harris insisted that she is now opposed to the idea. The idea of banning fracking has been floated for a while now due to environmental concerns surrounding the controversial oil drilling method. Bans on fracking are opposed by many conservatives as it would greatly limit the production of oil in America, thus driving up gas prices across the nation. It seems Harris took this stance to win over moderates and to keep gas prices down, but who knows how she will behave once in office?

Border

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In her 2020 presidential bid, Harris was all for decriminalizing the border, but now she is singing a different tune. Harris claimed she is determined to secure the border—as if like she had always been a stalwart defender of the southern states. Despite this policy reversal, Harris claimed her values have not changed, which is hard to reconcile. The interviewer even offered Kamala a graceful out by suggesting she had learned more about the situation during her VP tenure, but Kamala insisted she had not changed.

Race

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When asked to respond to Trump's comments regarding the sudden emergence of Kamala's black ancestry Kamala simply answered "Same old tired playbook, next question" instead of jumping on the opportunity to play the race card as one might expect. While skipping the critical race theory lecture was refreshing, it came as a shock coming from the candidate representing the "everything is racist" party. Was this just a way to deflect the question back on Trump, or have the Democrats decided the race card isn't working anymore?

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