Free Republic

Young Voices is a new project which exists to achieve greater media representation for promising college students and young professionals. Every week a different Advocate will comment on the stories which impact their lives. What do we do when we want advice? Sometimes, we choose to seek out a licensed professional. Other times, we simply rely first – and perhaps ultimately – on the recommendations of those around us. Every day, we give opinions and advice to friends, family members, neighbors, and colleagues on everything from parenting tips to home decorating to common health concerns. Furthermore, the Internet and its...

Measures to eliminate licensing laws for occupations varying from interior designers to auctioneers have been introduced in Michigan's legislature, but moving those bills toward passage has been minimal. That appears to be due to the Legislature's deliberative process. More than 30 bills pertaining to the elimination of occupational licensing are now in either the House Regulatory Reform Committee or the Senate Regulatory Reform Committee. The major push for the legislation came from within the administration of Gov. Rick Snyder. In April 2012, the Office of Regulatory Reinvention recommended the elimination of 18 occupational licenses and nine licensure boards. Licensing sometimes...

When people hear the terms "capitalism" or "free markets," often their first thought is that these are systems mostly benefiting the wealthy. In fact, the evidence suggests that it is actually the poor who gain the most from economic freedom. It is abundantly clear that living in countries with lower taxes, fewer regulations, a rule of law and generally limited government makes all citizens better off. One interesting statistic: Those reading this article are likely among the wealthiest — earning $34,000 per year puts people among the top 1 percent in the world, and half of the world's "1 percenters"...

The Mackinac Center for Public Policy and Northwood University welcomed Supreme Court Justice Brian K. Zahra as the keynote speaker for Friedman Legacy Day, an event celebrating the life and free market ideas of economist Milton Friedman, who would have been 101 years old Wednesday. Justice Zahra was introduced by former Michigan Supreme Court Chief Justice and current Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Mackinac Center Clifford W. Taylor. Zahra reflected on Chapter 9 of Milton Friedman's 1962 book Capitalism and Freedom. In it, Friedman advocates for the elimination of licensure for those who want to practice medicine....

The state of Kentucky used occupational licensing laws to shut down an advice columnist, according to an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal. "Was Dear Abby a career criminal? Can 'The Dr. Oz Show' show be censored? Absolutely — at least according to the Kentucky attorney general and the state's Board of Examiners of Psychology, which just banned one of the most popular advice columns in the United States from all of Kentucky's newspapers," wrote Paul Sherman and Jeff Rowe, attorneys with the Institute for Justice, who are representing the columnist. The case involves John Rosemond, a licensed family psychologist...

In May 2013, John Rosemond — America's longest running newspaper columnist—received an astonishing order from the Kentucky attorney general: Stop publishing your advice column in the Bluegrass State or face fines and jail. The attorney general and Kentucky's psychologist licensing board believe that John's column, which is syndicated in more than 200 papers nationwide, constitutes the "unlicensed practice of psychology" in Kentucky when it appears in a Kentucky newspaper. Kentucky's crackdown is part of a national surge in the abuse of occupational licensing laws to censor advice. On July 17, 2013, John joined the Institute for Justice to fight back...

In 2011, a North Carolina blogger named Steve Cooksey began an advice column on his website where he gave his opinion to readers asking nutritional questions. But because dietitians and nutritionists are required to have a license there, the state board informed him that his advice was criminal and worked to shut him down. Cooksey is now engaged in an ongoing legal fight. The case is extreme, but some worry that similar action could happen in Michigan, which also requires strict licensing for those providing certain health information. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, dietitians and nutritionists are...

The State of Michigan was admitted into the union in 1837 and for most of the time since then, landscape architects were able to work without having to jump through a bunch of hoops with the government. That changed a few years ago, but a bill in the State House would repeal some of those requirements. In 1980, Michigan began requiring landscape architects register with the state. In 2008, House Bill 5025 was passed, establishing a committee(s) that mandates requirements to work. The state now requires seven years of education or work experience, university-level courses, and classes that are approved...

Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley wants state lawmakers to consider passing legislation that would require residents to obtain a license before purchasing a handgun. Such a law would be an impediment to a constitutional guarantee for which there is no such requirement. I find it interesting that liberals attack the requirement that a person needs to show identification in order to vote, but they will put multiple restrictions on people who have a right to keep and bear arms as set down in the Constitution.Unlike the Second Amendment, there is no absolute right to vote. Consider the 26th Amendment that was...

HOLLAND, Mich. — Several weeks after a city zoning officer shut down his hot dog business, 13-year-old Nathan Duszynski and his parents are homeless. The family was hoping Nathan’s hot dog cart could help them through a difficult time. Nathan’s mother, Lynette Johnson, suffers from epilepsy and his stepfather, Doug Johnson, has multiple sclerosis. Their illnesses have restricted them from finding permanent, full-time work. The family receives about $1,300 a month in disability payments, Medicaid and food assistance. The three are having a hard time staying together. MLive confirms what the Mackinac Center learned Thursday — Nathan and his mother...

An article in The New York Times documents the craziness of current licensing laws across the nation. In “So You Think You Can Be a Hair Braider?” the author focuses on Jestina Clayton, a Sierra Leone native who came to America, went to college, got married, had children and then tried to start her own business. Clayton lives in Utah, where she does a style of African hair braiding and found a niche market, providing for her family and creating value and wealth in the community. But not for long. She was soon reported and told that her state requires...

Earning extra money replacing gutters or putting in new bathroom tile will cost you a lot of time and money thanks to Michigan’s licensing laws. Without a certificate from the government, a lot of contracting work is illegal. Michigan's licensing apparatus requires most general contracting workers to pay $235, take 60 hours of state-approved education, pass two exams and be over 18 years of age. Tiling, pouring terrazzo and putting up gutters are covered as maintenance and alteration contractors. Michigan is one of only 10 states that requires a license for this type of work and has the fourth highest...

This spring brought a bit of bad and good economic news for Michigan. First the bad news: In May, Chief Executive magazine released results from a poll of CEOs in which respondents named the 10 worst states for doing business. States were rated on taxes, regulatory structures and other costs of doing business, and Michigan ranked among the worst. The good news is, however, initial efforts are underway that could help make Michigan a better place to get and create jobs. In April, Gov. Rick Snyder’s Office of Regulatory Reinvention recommended, after months of study, the elimination of 18 occupational...

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...

A blogger in North Carolina has been threatened with jail time for “practicing nutrition without a license” by writing about his experiences with diabetes and telling readers what types of food he was eating. It was in January when the North Carolina Board of Dietetics and Nutrition told blogger Steve Cooksey, who writes at diabetes-warrior.net, that it was investigating him for providing nutrition care services without a license. Cooksey was accused of violating Chapter 90, Article 25 of the North Carolina General Statutes, which makes it a misdemeanor to “practice dietetics or nutrition” without state permission – a license. According...

Lee McGrath says a lawyer must spend 1,200 hours in the classroom to be eligible to become an attorney in Michigan. Yet, to be a barber in Michigan, someone must spend 2,000 hours in training. McGrath, the legislative counsel at The Institute for Justice, used that example to highlight how licensing laws in the state are job killers and increase costs to consumers. “The important thing to realize is it is the licensees who benefit from licensure,” McGrath said. “They get to raise their prices from the reduced competition. Consumers benefit much more from a competitive marketplace.” Rep. Tom McMillian,...

Should cats be treated like dogs, when it comes to licensing and immunization requirements? The San Diego city auditor's office recommends doing just that -- for the sake of health, safety and "cost recovery" for taxpayers. According to formulas used by the Humane Society of the United States, there are an estimated 373,000 cats in San Diego.

Many countries have restrictions and requirements on doctors, nurses, lawyers etc. Greece carries the idea to extreme. According to Keep Talking Greece "closed professions" include beauticians, drama and dance school instructors, bakers, antiques dealers, insurance agents, insurance consultants, employment consultants, diagnostics centre staff, translators, divers, cameramen, driving school instructors, cab drivers, tourist bus drivers, newspaper stand owners, electricians, sound technicians, private school owners, tobacco sellers, gun manufacturers and sellers, hairdressers, private investigators, port workers, real estate agents, lifeguards, carpenters, financiers, opticians, auditors, movie/theatre director and even car mechanics. Restrictions will be lifted July 2. That is a much needed maneuver, and the...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9155J1V8XaM&feature=fvstTalk about ironic - Philadelphia to ban free speech - unless you got cash! Another attempt to take out the middle class by making it too expensive to participate. In Philadelphia if you don't have the cash you also get denied your first amendment rights. Hmmmmm Make this viral folks because the bull always starts small and keeps gaining momentum UNTIL it is stopped

Call it karma, just desserts, or schadenfreude. The cost to taxpayers of doctors’ notes excusing Wisconsin teachers from work so that they don’t get fired for illegally walking out on classes has been estimated at $6 million. Watching Big Government crack down on Big Labor? Priceless: Staff at the state Department of Regulation and Licensing have begun to review roughly 300 e-mail complaints about doctors issuing excuse notes for protesters at the state Capitol over the weekend, officials said Tuesday.Complaints that name a specific doctor and the alleged violations of rules covered by their licenses will be forwarded to the...