New York City is a paradise when it comes to Chinese food (cold noodles in sesame sauce! shrimp dumplings! chow fon! eggplant in black bean sauce! turnip cake!). This magnificent cuisine abounds in all five boroughs at relatively cheap prices, thanks to heroically hard-working Asian restaurateurs.

Naturally, such diligence and its attendant profits attract predators, a.k.a., politicians and bureaucrats. These parasites suck at their hosts so greedily that they often kill them, à la this notice taped to the locked doors of one of Manhattan’s landmarks on Second Avenue near East 64^th Street:

China Fun has closed after 25 years in business. We want to thank all of our loyal customers who have been with us—whether for a day or for generations. It has been a great run serving you our delicious soup dumplings, scallion pancakes and General T‘sao Chicken, but the climate for small businesses like ours in New York have become such that it’s difficult to justify taking risks and running—nevermind starting—a legitimate ‘mom-and-pop’ business. The state and municipal governments, with their punishing rules and regulations, seem to believe that we should be their cash machine to pay for all that ails us in society, even though we suffer just like everyone else from an economy in flux. Our only wish for 2017 and beyond is for our career lawmakers and politicians, local and national alike, to take a mandatory ‘Undercover Boss’ challenge and live in the shoes of a small business owner for a week. Maybe then they will better understand the economically stifling environment they have created, and, dare we say, change their ways for the betterment of everyone, and not just pander to the populace that garner the most votes?

Cheers, anyone?

And yet this victim of tyranny ends his indictment with the courtesy the market demands from entrepreneurs:

Happy New Year Everyone!

Let’s hope more of the State’s punching-bags follow China Fun’s lead and place the blame for their sabotaged undertakings squarely where it belongs. And pray God that He avenges such dashed dreams and jobs on the bloodsuckers who have destroyed yet another fine business.

The Best of Becky Akers