Posted on 05/18/2012 11:09:20 AM PDT by Twotone
Like many other truths about the world we live in, you would never know this from listening to politicians’ speeches, but we are living in the golden age of American manufacturing.
snip
During this same time period, automation has reduced demand for factory floor labor, barcodes have reduced demand for dock worker labor, and email has eliminated countless white collar clerical jobs. We produce more, but with less people. This phenomenon has had less effect for the more labor-intensive service sector, so policymakers seem to have felt the need to invent a way to reduce job creation for the rest of our economy, that innovation being occupational licensing.
Amazing how politicians always manage to do exactly the wrong thing when it comes to the economy & job creation.
I agree with you. Take your idea a step further.
If the economy is indeed experiencing massive (if not historical) productivity growth, why do we have inflation (indeed, quite high inflation by my own reckoning, not by BLS figures). Why do we have stagnant wage growth over decades?
Government has corralled these economic gains from productivity (and then some) to make itself fat, and it is aided by the Federal Reserve.
Imagine what prices of things would be without a fiat currency?
Electricians and plumbers need to be proven to have the knowledge to not kill people, but something that I thought was pretty smart that Houston did, was that they had a ‘maintenance electricians license’ it was designed for apt and bldg. maintenance men and while free, required a little class and a test, it was just to give a heads up to the guys doing simple jobs like replacing a light switch or a wall plug.
It exposed them to a few of the simple but deadly mistakes they could make during routine repairs, and made them aware of what the reasonable (and legal) boundaries are and when they should call a pro.
Could you follow standard FR protocol and favor the rest of us with a link to the article??? Thanks and have a great FReepin’ day....
1500 hrs for a barber
In NJ it takes 375 hrs of classroom and 500 hrs of
field training for a paramedic
Paramedic can administer powerful drugs (morphine, andrealine) and can even pronounce you dead
Lets see 875 hrs training to pronounce you dead vs
1500 to cut hair
If we had true economic and political Liberty, we would all have vacations places on the Moon and Mars. Civilization would be much further advanced.
Statists are ALL evil to their core -- whether they be the left or the right.
Government is the most destructive institution ever created by man. It is only minimally evil if it is kept strictly within Constitutional limits.
Government attracts the most sadistic, the most corrupt and the most evil among us.
I pray to God Almighty that if the political class succeeds in destroying our Republic, that whey will be shown NO mercy upon it's restoration.
Occupational license is a tax, do not confuse it with required proof of competency and education that a license from a State regulatory agency is supposed to warrant. Most of the time if your field requires a professional license or certificate an Occupational License can not be issued if you lack the license.
Many times occupations that truly should not be required to have a professional license or certificate, as the unregulated practice does not present an obvious threat to health, safety and public welfare, are required to get such a license from local if not state government. These license requirements are indeed more a means of stopping new blood from competing with existing business than about public safety. They are also a revenue stream for local government.
But don’t confuse these with occupational licenses, which are simply a tax. It is usually based on type of occupation and is one means cities have of making sure businesses meet zoning and other requirements. To get mine I had to show compliance with zoning and health department regulations. Nothing overly involved.
At first glance it does indeed look silly about barbers needing a license. But think about it they handle sharp objects which means potential exposure to blood born disease. They have to touch people which means possible exposure to bacteria, exposure to parasites (lice). They have to know about sanitation, both personal and for their instruments. Some of the cleaning products they use are powerful stuff so they have to know about exposure to harmful chemicals.
I admit 1500 hours does seem a way over the top, especially compared with paramedic training. But most likely some guy got a bad infection from a dirty pair of scissors nicking his neck and demands were made to increase training for barbers. Also what are the continuing ed requirements for each field? Paramedics may have more CEU’s to meet each year.
Milton Friedman wrote extensively about the evil of "government licensing." Friedman had wonderful explanations of how much more efficient and beneficial the marketplace would be solving the "so called problem of licensing." His speeches and writings are very eye opening.
To paraphrase and summarize Friedman, government licensing exists for one reason -- to restrict competition, not benefit the public.
Where’s the link?
I disagree that it is the only reason, it can certainly be used as a tool for that. But I prefer that my doctor, my electrician, my engineer and my lawyer have the required certificates or licenses from the governing board which oversees their regulation. It certainly is a legit use of government powers to protect public safety from those who can cause a great deal of property damage, injury and/or death from their incompetence.
I agree with your concerns. Milton Friedman and others have specifically addressed the very matters you bring up. They brilliantly explained how "market mechanisms" would solve ALL the concerns you have. Believe me, I want competent people to do work for me. What Friedman and others have proposed are solutions that not only would guarantee competent, quality service, that would also allow for stronger competition and lower prices.
If you have time read some writings by Friedman, Mises, Hayek, and others. It is quite eye opening and enjoyable. Truly brilliant thinkers. They take on the fallacy that government is there "to protect us" by undertaking licensing and inspecting.
After reading the works of such great minds, I was left with the belief that besides National Defense and the courts, there is very little that governments should undertake--lol.
Here’s the link:
Can’t figure out how that happened! Guess I was in a hurry...
I wonder how many hours of training is required to wash dishes?
What is interesting and scary is how readily we accept the idea that govt will protect us..............................
Self policing only works to a point. Most state licensing boards do consist at least in part of members of the profession they oversee The problem is that if the boards are made up entirely of that profession it may be hard for a legit complaint to get a fair airing.
Remember too that boards which discipline license holders do so in an administrative/judicial capacity and there is nothing to prevent separate civil or criminal charges being pursued when violations occur.
Trademarks with certain limits are still protected under common law.
Self policing only works to a point.
No where did I imply that.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.