I am a small government conservative, I often call my self a classical liberal, as in the way Thomas Jefferson was a liberal.

I believe that societies need governments.  There needs to be enforced law and order.  Without it, societies end up being ruled by violent brutes and vengeful mobs.

That doesn’t mean I have to like or trust the government.

Kentucky has given me another glaring example of why I shouldn’t.

Kentucky tells church giving away used glasses to homeless it is breaking law

This is going to be good…

For 16 years, a Kentucky church member has been giving away prescription glasses to the poor. His program, Kendall Optometry Ministry, has become so successful, it has helped thousands of people across 79 countries.

So this guy gets used glasses donated.  He and some volunteers clean them up and then match them to homeless people who need glasses.  My wife wears glasses so I know just how shit-ass expensive they are.  Donating used glasses in good condition sounds like a wonderful idea.  Everybody wins.  The homeless get glasses and the people donating get a tax write-off.  Hooray for a system of charity doing some good.

But the Kentucky Board of Optometric Examiners and the Kentucky Board of Ophthalmic Dispensers claim the practice is illegal because the glasses “are not new, first quality and made to meet the individual’s personal prescriptions.”

I’m from the government and I’m here to help…

“Optometry Board basically told us we must discontinue this used glasses clinic, even though the used glasses look like new, you can’t tell the difference. They don’t like that the prescription [is not exact]…but the thing is in all cases it vastly improves the vision,” Kendall told Fox News. “I just don’t think they’re concerned about the homeless people as I am.”

Economic fucking protectionism.  That’s what this bullshit is.  It’s economic protectionism gone awry.

The Kentucky Board of Optometric Examiners and the Kentucky Board of Ophthalmic Dispensers seems money slipping through their fingers and have sicced the dogs of the government on this church group.

And It’s not like this is cutting into their profits all that much.  I can’t imagine the homeless are buying glasses and I am not aware of any homeless shelters that do optometry work.

So the fuck what that the “are not new, first quality and made to meet the individual’s personal prescriptions?”  A pair of donated glasses that are a 90% match are better than the 100% match that the homeless don’t have because they don’t have $300 to spend on glasses.

The Board of Optometric Examiners for the state told Fox News members met with Kendall on Saturday to “share with him the Board’s statutory duties regarding optometric practice and dispensation.”

An official said the board “applauds Mr. Kendall’s desire to aid those in need” but said the charity’s practices could actually hurt someone with optical needs who should be seen by a licensed optometrist.

So where is the Optometrists board holding its monthly charity examination and glasses giveaway?

Fucking nowhere is the answer.

But Kendall insists if he changes his work model, he will not be able to help the hundreds of people he sees who have trouble with their vision. He said he tried working with a licensed optometrist about a decade ago. But the optometrist was forced to leave, he said, because the state threatened to take away the eye doctor’s medical license.

Of course they did.  Why?

Because you should never underestimate the power of a do-gooding bureaucrat to royally fuck something up for everyone else.

Holland believes most of the time they are “able to vastly improve their vision,” but all that could soon come to an end unless something changes.

No more good is going to be done for the homeless with bad eyesight in Kentucky because the fucking government got involved.

This reminds me of a similar story from New York City a few years ago, when the second worse mayor to run that place was in charge.

Bloomberg Strikes Again: NYC Bans Food Donations To The Homeless

Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s food police have struck again!

Outlawed are food donations to homeless shelters because the city can’t assess their salt, fat and fiber content, reports CBS 2’s Marcia Kramer.

Glenn Richter arrived at a West Side synagogue on Monday to collect surplus bagels — fresh nutritious bagels — to donate to the poor. However, under a new edict from Bloomberg’s food police he can no longer donate the food to city homeless shelters.

Richter has been collecting food from places like the Ohav Zedek synagogue and bringing it to homeless shelters for more than 20 years, but recently his donation, including a “cholent” or carrot stew, was turned away because the Bloomberg administration wants to monitor the salt, fat and fiber eaten by the homeless.

It wasn’t just this synagogue.  Caterers and restaurants had been giving away surplus food to homeless shelters.  Not just did that stop good food from being thrown away, but the tax deductions helped these small businesses recover loss to their bottom line from waste.  It was good all around.  The homeless got good food, the shelters could stretch their budgets using donations, and the business owners got a tax break.

That was just too much good and Mayor Bloomberg had to shut that shit down, because god forbid some guy whose last meal came out of a trashcan got a plate of donated food that contained more than the USDA recommended daily dose of salt.

I have never understood the impetus of some people to see two people working together in a positive way or to see one person doing something good for another and for that person to jump into between and say “stop, you’re doing this all wrong” and break up a good thing from happening.

I guess not having that impetus is why I have no desire to be a bureaucrat.

It’s said those who can’t do teach.  I don’t believe that’s true.  Those who can’t do become bureaucrats and stop others from doing too.