A Holland, Mich., teenager is being stopped from opening a hotdog cart due to city zoning laws. It’s really disheartening when you consider the fact that this young person was trying to be responsible and work to help his family and build up savings for his future.

In Work: The Meaning of Your Life, Lester DeKoster writes that work is a way in which we provide service to others—a service this teenager has been denied the chance to provide.

The Mackinac Center has a video up about this story.

I wrote last month about how government officials have shut down lemonade stands for various regulatory reasons. Last week, I also wrote about occupational licensing laws that prevent people such as florists from engaging in enterprise.

Instead of getting to perform a service to munity and earning money for his family and his future, Nathan has gotten an unfortunate lesson in government regulation and protection of favored businesses.