Bob walks into his favorite ice cream store. The owner of the ice cream store, Joe, is behind the counter:
Bob: What's up, Joe?
Joe: Busy as a one-armed paper hanger, Bob. How's the family?
Bob: Couldn't be better. I'll take my usual.
Joe: Ok, so...I'm afraid I can't do that.
Bob: Wait, don't tell me you're out of macadamia nut truffle!!
Joe: No, not exactly. I've got plenty. It's just that you can't have that flavor anymore.
Bob: But...I love macadamia nut truffle.
Joe: Yeah, I know. You've been coming in my shop twice a week buying macadamia nut truffle for the past twenty years now, and, don't get me wrong, I really appreciate your business, but yeah...you can't have that flavor anymore.
Bob: What do you mean, I can't have my favorite ice cream in the world?? Who died and put you in charge?
Joe: It's not me Bob, if it was up to me I'd sell you a gallon of the stuff. It's this new regulation from the Department of Health. Starting today, I can't serve macadamia nut truffle ice cream to anyone who has bought it for the last twenty years. Something about it being bad for your blood pressure or blood sugar, I forget which. Yeah, so...no more macadamia nut truffle. But, you are allowed to buy anything in this freezer over here.
Bob: But, this freezer only has vanilla, chocolate and strawberry.
Joe: Neapolitan...it's called "neapolitan."
Bob: I know what it's called, Joe!! I don't want "Neapolitan" I want macadamia nut truffle!
Joe: I'd love to help you Bob, but they'll shut me down if I sell you what you want. This is the law now, so if you want to get your ice cream from me, it has to be Neapolitan or nothing.
Bob: You're not the only ice cream store in town, Joe. I could always head over to The Creamery Crock down the street.
Joe: True. But they can't sell you any macadamia nut truffle either. Same regulation applies to them too. Were all the same now.
Bob: I can't believe this is happening.
Joe: Me neither.
Bob: Ok, well I guess I'll take a double scoop of this Neapolitan on a sugar cone, then.
Joe: Coming right up.
Bob: This is ridiculous...
Joe: Ok...that will be $7.37.
Bob: What?? You doubled the price??
Joe: I didn't double the price. This new regulation doubled my expenses. I had to buy a special new freezer, special new ergonomic scoops, and a couple new computer programs to handle the reporting requirements of the new regulation. That stuff adds up, man. I'm obsorbing some of the extra costs, but I'm forced to pass on some of them to you.
Bob: So, let me get this straight. All of a sudden, somebody at the Health Department decides that they know what kind of ice cream is right for me, takes away the ice cream that I love, then charges me twice as much for ice cream that I don't even want???
Joe: Sounds worse when you say it. But yeah, that's about the size of it.
Bob: You know what? I've got half a mind to just start making my own ice cream...at home...with one of those hand crank things.
Joe: I'm afraid that's the whole idea. The Health Department folks don't think much of the ice cream business, you know...all those calories, all that sugar. But, they can't just shut us all down. So they're doing the next best thing...driving us out of business little by little.
Bob: But, they know best, right?
Joe: That's what I'm told.
Bob: What's up, Joe?
Joe: Busy as a one-armed paper hanger, Bob. How's the family?
Bob: Couldn't be better. I'll take my usual.
Joe: Ok, so...I'm afraid I can't do that.
Bob: Wait, don't tell me you're out of macadamia nut truffle!!
Joe: No, not exactly. I've got plenty. It's just that you can't have that flavor anymore.
Bob: But...I love macadamia nut truffle.
Joe: Yeah, I know. You've been coming in my shop twice a week buying macadamia nut truffle for the past twenty years now, and, don't get me wrong, I really appreciate your business, but yeah...you can't have that flavor anymore.
Bob: What do you mean, I can't have my favorite ice cream in the world?? Who died and put you in charge?
Joe: It's not me Bob, if it was up to me I'd sell you a gallon of the stuff. It's this new regulation from the Department of Health. Starting today, I can't serve macadamia nut truffle ice cream to anyone who has bought it for the last twenty years. Something about it being bad for your blood pressure or blood sugar, I forget which. Yeah, so...no more macadamia nut truffle. But, you are allowed to buy anything in this freezer over here.
Bob: But, this freezer only has vanilla, chocolate and strawberry.
Joe: Neapolitan...it's called "neapolitan."
Bob: I know what it's called, Joe!! I don't want "Neapolitan" I want macadamia nut truffle!
Joe: I'd love to help you Bob, but they'll shut me down if I sell you what you want. This is the law now, so if you want to get your ice cream from me, it has to be Neapolitan or nothing.
Bob: You're not the only ice cream store in town, Joe. I could always head over to The Creamery Crock down the street.
Joe: True. But they can't sell you any macadamia nut truffle either. Same regulation applies to them too. Were all the same now.
Bob: I can't believe this is happening.
Joe: Me neither.
Bob: Ok, well I guess I'll take a double scoop of this Neapolitan on a sugar cone, then.
Joe: Coming right up.
Bob: This is ridiculous...
Joe: Ok...that will be $7.37.
Bob: What?? You doubled the price??
Joe: I didn't double the price. This new regulation doubled my expenses. I had to buy a special new freezer, special new ergonomic scoops, and a couple new computer programs to handle the reporting requirements of the new regulation. That stuff adds up, man. I'm obsorbing some of the extra costs, but I'm forced to pass on some of them to you.
Bob: So, let me get this straight. All of a sudden, somebody at the Health Department decides that they know what kind of ice cream is right for me, takes away the ice cream that I love, then charges me twice as much for ice cream that I don't even want???
Joe: Sounds worse when you say it. But yeah, that's about the size of it.
Bob: You know what? I've got half a mind to just start making my own ice cream...at home...with one of those hand crank things.
Joe: I'm afraid that's the whole idea. The Health Department folks don't think much of the ice cream business, you know...all those calories, all that sugar. But, they can't just shut us all down. So they're doing the next best thing...driving us out of business little by little.
Bob: But, they know best, right?
Joe: That's what I'm told.
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