It Has Come To This: Government Crackdowns On Birthday Parties

Is there anything, anything at all that Americans can do without having some government busybody sticking his nose into it? Apparently,: not even birthday parties are safe.

Pitchfork-wielding Virginia farmers rallied to support a woman who claims local officials came down on her for, among other things, hosting a children’s birthday party on her spread.

Martha Boneta, owner of Liberty Farms in the northern village of Paris, was threatened with nearly $5,000 in fines for selling produce and crafts and throwing unlicensed events, including a birthday party for her best friend’s child. She told FoxNews.com she wasn’t doing anything farmers haven’t done for generations, and at a recent zoning board meeting, her agrarian friends literally showed up with pitchforks to express their support.

“It’s rather odd that I’m the only farmer in the county having these issues,” Boneta said. “It’s customary to do these things. It’s done through on farms throughout Virginia to help farming and agriculture.”

Boneta was told that she did not have the proper event permits for the party and other events, including wine tastings, craft workshops, and pumpkin carving.

“Why I would need a permit for a pumpkin carving?” she said.

Ayn Rand once said,: “There’s no way to rule innocent men. The only power government has is the power to crack down on criminals. When there aren’t enough criminals, one makes them. One declares so many things to be a crime that it becomes impossible for men to live without breaking laws.”

Is that an overstatement? Yes, but just a bit. When we’re getting down to the point where the government is claiming the right to levy thousands of dollars in fines over birthday parties and pumpkin carvings, you have to wonder whether the people are servants of the government or the government is a servant of the people?

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