The American dream

Sometimes, when dealing with government, you have to wonder if the right hand ever knows what the left hand is doing. Take the case of the two teenagers in Columbia, Mo., one a high school student and the other a community college student, who enterprisingly saw an opportunity to make money from a basic supply-demand situation.

Here are the basics: Tree services dispose of wood that could be burned in fireplaces and stoves. The older teen already owned a landscaping business and was familiar with the ample supply of wood. So the two teens set up shop on an empty lot in Columbia and began selling firewood. Cheap. As far as the teens knew, their customers were happy, and there were no complaints.

Then the city inspectors showed up. The zoning wasn't right. The teens didn't have a business license. They would be required to have a dust-free parking lot, a handicapped-accessible entrance, erosion controls and a public restroom.

This was a learning opportunity for the two teens. Now they know what business owners have to contend with all the time. But it was also an opportunity -- missed, it appears -- for government to offer a helping hand to two entrepreneurial teenagers by offering them some bureaucratic assistance in finding a properly zoned lot and cutting through some of the red tape.

Why is it, do you think, that teenagers who abuse drugs and alcohol, drop out of school and engage in criminal activities get more government help than two teenagers pursuing the American dream?