[freedomfiter2]

My show tonight tonight asks, why do so many occupations need a license?

1) to limit competition in order to force higher charges.

2) to give government a cut of the resulting higher costs.

[logician2u]

A third reason comes to mind: to satisfy the nanny-statists who spend all their time worrying about "consumer protection" against fly-by-night ripoff artists, whether they be involved with home improvement (roofing, siding, painting) or personal services (hairdressers, nail polishers, tailors, babysitters, dog walkers).

Legislators are bombarded with letters and calls from these perennial do-gooders and their friends wanting them to "do something," and what we get is more regulations, whether the industry needs them or not.

I have observed, too, that Republicans are as much responsible as Democrats for sponsoring and supporting regulations "for the chillun" or "to keep us safe."