As summer temperatures start to climb, it is likely we will see those neighborhood lemonade stands starting to show up on some Spokane street corners. There is nothing more American than a kid’s lemonade stand. When kids get an idea to set up a little business, they should be encouraged. Lemonade and Kool-Aid stands are signs that entreprenuerism is alive and well. The whole experience teaches kids important lessons about business. They begin to understand risk. They appreciate the realities of dealing with an operating overhead, and what it means to make a profit. They learn about promotion and marketing, and they soon learn how important it is to offer a product for which there is a demand. They get a hands-on practical lesson about economics too. We should always support these young business operators.
Too many Americans have no concept about how difficult it is to start and grow a business. Often folks think they are rich because they own a business. Even government treats business owners as though they have plenty of money, but in reality, if it was easy to own a business and assume the risks associated with operating a business, everyone would be doing it, and of course, everybody isn’t.
Then there’s the story of a Terre Haute Indiana robber who apparently thought a kid’s lemonade stand was an easy target, until the crime went sour. The guy grabbed $17.50 from the street corner stand and ran off. The little girl who had set up the lemonade stand chased the bad guy. He ducked into a nearby home. The child called police who, after an hour-long stand-off arrested the thief on a preliminary felony charge of robbery. Stealing from a lemonade stand is really low, but even that experience carries a lesson. Retail businesses with cash on the premises are attractive to criminals. The girl and her friends plan to keep their stand open, but with an adult’s supervision. In other words, they have instituted some new security measures.I encourage summertime entrepreneurs. I applaud any kid who opens a lemonade stand, and if I see one…I’ll stop for a cool drink.
With commentary on 920 KXLY I’ Mike Fitzsimmons.
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Hello Mike,
Today 6-18-08, my wife tells me that she heard your evening dirve time show and you were talking about the Chinese drilling 60 miles off of Key West. I have heard that too and have run across several articles indicating that it is not true, yet. The Cubans have signed contracts with several oil drilling companies, among them a couple Chinese companies. Drilling off their coasts may be underway, but not near Key West.
Here is a link from a right wing magazine Free Republic.com regarding the subject, listing contracts between Cuba and drilling companies, and debunking this report of Chinese drilling off Key West.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/chat/2030484/posts
Here is a June 5 George Will article that makes the claim about Chinese drilling off Key West, which he corrects June 18.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/04/AR2008060403052.html
Here is the June 18 article where George Will corrects his statement about Chinese drilling off Key West — at the bottom of the article
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/06/was_it_really_the_worst_decisi.html
People generaly, including our would be policy makers, do not grasp the scale of our energy useage and hence cannot grasp what alternative energy soruces do and do not make sense. When ever you do a show about energy, it would be best to start off by giving people information about the scale of our energy useage. This web page gives perspective on the scale of the energy problem and information about the scaleability of the proposed solutions. It is a page from my aborted senate campaign web site.
http://www.tomhorneforsenate.com/energy.html
Keep up the good discussions.
Tom Horne