So Much for Philadelphia Freedom

Here’s a follow up on the story of the Philadelphia café owner who cleaned up a vacant lot next to his restaurant, hauling away 40 tons of trash and debris that had accumulated over the last 30 years.

The Review-Journal reports that the city “has demanded that the now-popular garden be returned to its previous condition at Mr. Fiebush’s expense” and “has threatened to sue Mr. Fiebush if he does not comply.”

This is the sort of thing that led Thomas Paine to write: “Government, even in its best state, is but a necessary evil; in its worst state, an intolerable one.”