Anyone who has lived in a small town has experienced a sense of community often missing in larger cities. It might be a place where everyone knows your business, but it's also a place where neighbors look out for and help each other. It's more than just people who happen to live in the same place; there truly is a feeling of extended family. But what happens when the long arm of government decides that helping your neighbors needs to be regulated?

Kathy Kite is a grandmother who lives in the small town of Harrisburg, Missouri, about 30 minutes outside of the college town of Columbia. When the local gas station stopped serving breakfast after COVID, regulars at the station kept asking for it. That's when Kite began inviting people into her home and cooking breakfast for them. What began in May as a small early morning gathering for a few people has blossomed into many more residents in the town of just 300 people stopping by Kathy's house in the morning to grab breakfast or a quick cup of coffee and talk about farming or the weather — the things small-town people talk about. Moms bring their kids for breakfast before school.

But as the old saying goes, no good deed goes unpunished, and Kathy Kite is certainly finding that out. In July, she received a letter from the Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services Department. The letter stated that Kite needed to obtain a food permit or face possible fines and even jail time. But the best part — "best" meaning the most ridiculous part — was that the letter also stated that Kite would be required to install a commercial kitchen in her home. Kite said of the letter's demands,

"In order for me to comply with what they're asking, I would have to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to have a commercial kitchen in my home. I live in a 115-year-old home. It's a beautiful home. I'm not gonna jeopardize the integrity of my home to put a commercial kitchen in to make some free burritos."

The Columbia/Boone County Public Health and Human Services Department claims it did not threaten jail time, nor did it issue cease-and-desist orders. They also claim they received a complaint about someone becoming ill after eating at Kite's home. A spokesperson stated:

"At the time the complaint was received, Ms. Kite’s home had an open sign, tip jar, advertised food on social media and a sign in her yard — all things that are typically associated with a food establishment."

Kathy Kite's plight could not be a better example of massive government overreach. She just wants to do something good for her community, and she has to install a commercial kitchen to do it? Where do we draw the line? Do kids need a permit for a lemonade stand? What if you want to invite your neighbors over for a barbecue? Is your first step a requirement to contact the health department? 

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But there isn't just government overreach going on here. There is also a hefty side helping of typical leftist hypocrisy. While no one pays for their breakfast at Kathy's house, she keeps a tip/donation jar designed to help her pay for breakfast ingredients. The idea is "Pay what you can if you can." Harrisburg sits in the shadows of liberal Columbia. Isn't this philosophy the ultimate ideal for the left? Why would they have a problem with it? The simplest explanation is that permits cost money, and they aren't making any money from Kathy Kite.

The Goldwater Institute is representing Kite. Director of allied litigation, Dave Roland, said of Kathy's government harassment:

"Kathy’s story is a textbook example of bureaucracy run amok. Citizens should not be required to get the government’s permission before offering passers-by some coffee and a bite to eat while they socialize. The government exists to protect this sort of neighborly kindness, not to punish it."

Kathy Kite is not backing down and stated, "I'm not gonna stop providing for my community." She also stated what's become a harsh reality: "It's sad that our world has come to a place where people are afraid to help each other because they don't want to get in trouble." If I lived closer, Kathy would have one more regular.