I’m full of piss and brimstone today.

In fact, I feel a rant coming on.

So you might wanna put on your seatbelt.

It seems 7-year-old Julie Murphy of Oregon City, Oregon, was inspired by cartoon character Olivia the Pig to open her own lemonade stand last week.

Julie’s mom bought lemon-flavored Kool-Aid powder and a few gallons of bottled water.

Julie made a sign that included a drawing of somebody shouting “Yummy!” to pitch her ice-cold drinks for 50¢ a glass.

Then Julie and Mom traipsed to a neighborhood art fair and set up the lemonade stand.

But no sooner had Julie sold a few glasses to thirsty patrons than a lady from the Multnomah County Health Department showed up. She demanded to see Julie’s “temporary restaurant license” — which costs 120 bucks, by the way.

Julie couldn’t produce one, so the woman ordered her to shut down the stand or pay a $500 fine.

As you might expect, some art fair attendees were appalled by this officious bullying of a sobbing little girl, and a ruckus ensued.

Undeterred, the sanctimonious, clipboard-totin’, health department lady called in one of her buddies for back-up.

Things didn’t end well for Julie’s little business. It was squashed by county bureaucrats too unskilled to provide any real value beyond the harassment of enterprising children.

“Our role is to protect the public.” insisted Jon Kawaguchi, the county’s smug environmental health supervisor,

Ironically, licensed or not, the 7-year-old had carefully used hand sanitizer and kept her ingredients covered. She had even put ice into the cups with a scoop.

But that didn’t matter to these pencil-pushing public “servants.”

According to her mom, Julie thinks of that day last week as a “bad day.” But she’s determined not to let the experience crush her daughter’s entrepreneurial spirit and plans to help Julie open more lemonade stands as opportunities arise.

Good for her.

Up the rebels, I say.

What do YOU think?

www.wallyconger.com/QuestionTheRules