File this column under the following heading:  People who have too much time on their hands and meddle in things that are not important.

Or the heading:  People who need to get a life and stop worrying about innocuous things their neighbors are doing.

Or the simpler heading: C’mon people – Stop it!

There are many examples of incidents which fit under these headings.  For instance, a woman objected to her neighbor placing an American flag on his patio since it ran afoul of condominium rules.  Then there was the guy who asked a city licensing inspector if a 10-year old girl was paying sales tax or had a health permit for her neighborhood lemonade stand.

One of my personal favorites was the married couple who filed a complaint with the school district since they objected to LDS seminary students wearing white shirts to their junior high classes during the seminary’s “missionary” week observance. The couple claimed it made non-LDS students feel uncomfortable.

Last week Utah had another so-called controversy which could also fit snugly under the headings.  The “culprit” was a Salt Lake City fire station crew which touted its appreciation on Facebook for a local coffee company donating its brew to the firefighters.  Granted, the company didn’t donate a cup or two; its donation would keep a fire station awake for a good six months!

Instead of applauding the donation as a nice gesture to public service, a few men and women quibbled that public employees should not be accepting gifts.  The coffee, they complained, could be seen as a potential bribe.  Upon hearing the complaint, city officials noted that the donation was made in conjunction with a Firefighter Appreciation event, but warned that city employees should not accept similar future donations from private individuals or firms.

How silly!  Giving freebies to elected officials or judges is one thing; these individuals could be in a position to influence an issue important to the company.  But providing caffeine to a firefighter is something else entirely.  It is a simple way of saying thanks; it is not a bribe to ensure the fire crew ignores other calls and prioritizes an emergency response whenever the company’s coffee roaster overheats.

Where does it end?  Should there be a rule that a child cannot offer a cupcake to their teacher at the end of the school year?  Should it be against policy for a marriage license employee to accept an invitation to a wedding?

Our community and county have real problems, from a warming climate, a spike in crime, the shaming of overweight teens on social media, and a partisan Congress more worried about political convention extremists than about compromising for the public good. One problem we don’t have is bringing a smile to a firefighter by tossing him a bag of coffee beans.