Book Review by Len Semas, Publisher Sierra Sage Magazine
Title: Don’t Take My Lemonade Stand – an American Philosophy
Date: September, 2010
Janie Johnson touts herself as "American Citizen" and "just a mom". She is so much more than just a mom; she’s a mom on a mission. If I learned nothing from my mom, I learned you don’t get in the way of a mom on a mission. Janie’s young son had asked her "how do you know who to vote for?" She gave him her beliefs and then went in search of a book to further educate all her children on the political process. Fortunately, for us, Mrs. Johnson didn’t find any book on a level easily understood by children. The first thing Janie did was find out exactly what each of her children knew about how our country works. They didn’t know enough to make intelligent decisions. Her children had the talking points, but not the comprehension. This is when Janie decided that there was a definite need and wrote a book for all the parents who needed help explaining on a level easily understood by children. Janie wanted to explain exactly what conservative principles meant without her children rolling their eyes and wishing for the lesson to end. Each chapter has clarity of purpose for the parents and then kid’s pages. The kid’s pages are centered on a lemonade stand, easily understood, with enjoyable stories and illustrations.

She offers questions to ask your children and provides well-researched facts to help you explain the answers. Janie Johnson is well aware of life’s interruptions and wrote her chapters accordingly. This is a book you can pick up and read a chapter in as little as five minutes. My goodness she packs a lot to think about in those 5 minutes. Isn’t 5 minutes about all your children will sit still? I really appreciated the explanation describing the difference between a democracy (what we are becoming) and a Constitutional Republic (what we are supposed to be). Did you know that democracy is not mentioned in our Constitution anywhere? Progressives would like you to believe we are a democracy where majority rules. The founders knew that wouldn’t work. Right now, it appears we have a theocracy, which is ignoring the majority. Janie Johnson believes that if you know politicians past, you can predict his future. How many of our politicians have gone to Washington with a normal income and within a few years has become a multi-millionaire? You know
these politicians aren’t there for you; they are there for power and money. You can’t have a battle of wits with an unarmed subject. We must arm the future leaders with facts and truth. Common Sense Conservative Principles offer greater opportunities for success. They know we need to replace what sounds good with what works. Have you noticed that whether a law works or not, it stays on the books forever, unless it’s the Bush tax cuts? All laws should be sunsetted and reviewed to see if they actually work. If they don’t work, let them go. Do we really need 70,000 plus pages of tax codes? What is the responsibility of our government? Why can politicians give themselves raises even if they are doing a bad job? Shouldn’t "we the people" have a say in that? Children, teachers, doctors, etc. are routinely tested to prove they know their subject. Shouldn’t our politicians have to prove they know what is in the legislation they are passing? These are just a few questions you and your children need to consider. How do you know whom to vote for? Educate yourself and your children regarding the choices. This book provides an excellent, fun guide to explaining common sense conservatism and liberalism.

I highly recommend this one for all the parents wanting to guide their children armed with the truth. Usually when I finish a book I am reviewing, I write my review quickly while everything is fresh in my mind. Something stopped me on Janie Johnson’s Don’t Take My Lemonade Stand. I am calling it divine providence, as you will see. I saw a news story about little 7 year old girl in Portland who set up a lemonade stand suggesting a 50 cent donation for charity (the lemonade was free). She was doing a brisk bit of business when the authorities came by and asked if she had a permit for her stand. The permit was $120.00 and of course, she didn’t have one, she was, after all, only 7. To the horror of all those around her, the authorities shut her down. This story mirrors many of the "parables" Janie Johnson uses in her book.