City dictators, part gazillion

Yet another step on the road to totalitarianism: A woman in the corrupt cesspool known as Philadelphia has been giving free lunches to about 60 poor children in her neighborhood. She donates her time and has been complying with the state's ridiculously strict paperwork requirements, filling out weekly reports and being visited bi-weekly by a state monitor.

Well, the city just couldn't let a good deed go, and has now proclaimed that she needs a "zoning variance" to do this. Applying for one will cost her $1000. If she doesn't get one, the city vows to fine her $600 a day.

I would *love* to litigate this one. What does the city claim she's doing that requires a variance? Running a business? No money changes hands. Wait, I know: They'll say she's running a restaurant. Or maybe daycare. Ah, probably some arcane reg against performing charity without a city permit. Yeah, dat's it.

Folks, this is what happens when government has decided it wants to be the only source of help for the poor. This is made even worse by the existence of city-government drones trying to justify their salaries.

Honestly, what's next--making it a crime to give a scrap of food to a starving dog? Hell, you can see that one coming a mile away.

They say hate is corrosive, so I'm gonna keep trying really hard not to hate all these officious assholes. And yes, I realize that some cities establish some permits to keep the lunatic fringe from abusing everyone else. But how stupid of the city pinheads to hard-deal this woman instead of saying "You're doing a wonderful thing. Is there anything we can do to make things easier for you? Oh and by the way, here's that permit you, uh, "applied for" back in ought-six and we just found behind a file cabinet.

Yeah, that would have been a really smart thing to do. Which is why it didn't happen.