Occupational Licensing Gone Wild
From the Bloomberg article "Why Is It So Hard to Become a Cosmetologist in America?"
"The average cosmetologist in the U.S. trains for 372 days before earning a license. The average emergency medical technician spends 33 days in training. From this, one might conclude that Americans are obsessed with primping but tragically unprepared for emergencies."
"Actually, the disparity merely confirms what a muddle the process of occupational licensing is. In 1952, fewer than 5 percent of U.S. workers required a state license. By 2006, according to a survey that year by the Gallup Organization, 29 percent of workers said they needed a government-issued license to do their job."
"A study released in May by the libertarian Institute for Justice makes a compelling case that occupational licensing requirements in many states have run amok. Some licensees, including EMTs, have life-or-death responsibility. Others handle hazardous chemicals. Too many, however, are in occupations for which a natural inclination and a short apprenticeship should provide more than sufficient preparation. Why, for example, do florists, funeral attendants or shampooers need a license to work?"
Read more here.
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"Fascism should more appropriately be called corporatism because it is the merger of state and corporate power.”
-- Benito Mussolini
It's off topic, but the potential of 3D printing has been a recurring story on this blog, and so has organ donation. With that in mind, here's a story for Dr. Perry:
"3D printing technologies have come a long way since their earliest incarnations as rapid product prototype makers. It's now shaping up as the next disruptive technology and in medical science, 3D printing has huge potential. The latest advance comes from University of California, San Diego Nanoengineering Professor Shaochen Chen, whose group has demonstrated the ability to print three-dimensional blood vessels in seconds. If the technique proves scalable, it could revolutionize regenerative medicine. Imagine being able to recover from a heart attack by replacing your faulty aortic valve with a brand new one, made of your own cells. No more pig valves, no more mechanical solutions, no more waiting for a donor. The donor is you." -- New technique paves the way for instant 3D-printed biological tissues, Gizmag
Thanks Che, I'll post something about that.
"Actually, the disparity merely confirms what a muddle the process of occupational licensing is. In 1952, fewer than 5 percent of U.S. workers required a state license. By 2006, according to a survey that year by the Gallup Organization, 29 percent of workers said they needed a government-issued license to do their job"...
Obviously people are getting the very government they voted in...
I wonder how many people think there's some sort of substantive difference between licensing and taxation?
juandos-
there is a difference.
incumbents LOVE licensing. when nonsense like this starts, there's almost always a "grandfathering" period.
people who have been doing interior design or cutting hair for more than X years get an automatic license. thus, industries tend to love this stuff. they are usually the ones who ask for it. it limits the competition and provides price support.
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I'm more concerned about the federalization of licensing than I am about creeping state & local licensing.
Tax preparers are a good example.
Also, the feds have been pushing "incorporation transparency," ie, forcing corporations to disclose certain information that is not currently required by the state agencies that corporations file their papers with.
It's easier to rollback state & local requirements than it will be to repeal federal laws.
As I've said so many times that most elections are about 'control' over the people...each new political term brings more and more restrictions on the individual usually under the guise of 'safety' and/or trying to protect us from ourselves. This occupational licensing is just one example...as for the cosmetologist license pretty soon everyone will need one just to shampoo their own hair! And don't forget, ALL licenses bring in revenue for the politicians who think they know how to spend it better than ourselves.
I would love to see politicians run on the the idea that for the next four years (or for whatever how long it takes) that their mission in life would be to delete 50% of all the laws on the books.
Once in my lifetime have I seen a stupid law fade away...When I was lust a kid we had to have a license plate for our bicycle...what a waste! and that was in Massachusetts! Wisconsin had some too http://www.flickr.com/photos/andrew-turnbull/4214524562/
When will we have the will power to ignore a useless law long enough for it to fade away. Just think, if every cosmetologist decided not to renew their license (it should be good for life...the same for driver's licenses)...what will the authorities do? Arrest thousands and thousands of people?
By the way, Governor Weld of Massachusetts made it so that driver's licenses were good for life...as soon as he left office the new governor re-instated the licensing re-newal...Why? Because he needed more revenue!
Storm'n Norm'n said...
As I've said so many times that most elections are about 'control' over the people...each new political term brings more and more restrictions on the individual usually under the guise of 'safety' and/or trying to protect us from ourselves.
Add "None of the above" (NOTA) to all ballots to force another election with "better" candidates.
Yes, I know it won't fly due to current vested interests... but vested interest groups *always* disappear eventually.
"they are usually the ones who ask for it. it limits the competition and provides price support"...
Hmmm, interesting point morgaonvich...
I like it and it seems to make sense...
Thanks...
In Texas 9 of the top 10 barber shop violations have little to do with consumer safety and everything to do with a self-serving bureaucracy.
http://www.license.state.tx.us/barbers/barbershopviolations.htm
hmm, nice to see the lefties at Bloomberg taking a cautious step into the real world with this piece. Who knows? They might even realize that this is basically the same logic for why the minimum wage is a bad idea and come out against it! Nah, just kidding. ;)
bart, the "fascism is a merger of state and corporate power" quote is probably a fake. Political Research Associates is offering a 3 year subscription to their magazine to anyone who can find an authentic source for that quote.
Additionally, it contradicts actual Fascist writings on the subject of corporatism. See The Coming Corporate State for an authentic presentation of corporatism written in 1938 by Alexander Raven Thomson of the British Union of Fascists.
Jason said...
bart, the "fascism is a merger of state and corporate power" quote is probably a fake. Political Research Associates is offering a 3 year subscription to their magazine to anyone who can find an authentic source for that quote.
Let's posit for a moment that Mussolini didn't say it.
Is it true or not is the real question, and I submit that it's 100% true per the lessons of history.
I'm not going to get into some pointless battle about fascism or who said what. Anyone is free to pick up their favorite Funk n' Wagnalls, and make their own call.
"Add "None of the above" (NOTA) to all ballots to force another election with "better" candidates."
Better yet, NOTA should mean voters don't want anyone in that office. Period. No new election, just eliminate that position.
Senseless licensing requirements also allow raids of business establishments that would otherwise be illegal for lack of probable cause.
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