THE CONSERVATIVE VIEW

BY RUSSELL TURNER

 

PUBLIC SAFETY

 

Over the past several years there has been a trend in our country where more and more of our workers are required to have some kind of license for them to work and make a living. I am not just talking about professions such as lawyers and doctors, but many other professions as well. Barbers, tree trimmers, and countless other professions; it is estimated there are over two thousand licensing requirements across the Land of the Free… and that’s just for low income jobs like manicurists or floor sanders. In the State of Michigan, a worker is required to have 467 days of education and training to receive a barber’s license, but only 26 days to be a licensed Emergency Medical Technician.  In California tree trimmers must have 1,460 days of education and training. But pre-school teachers only require 365 days. These are just a couple of examples of what the working public has to endure every day.  According to a Brooking Institute study the percentage of workers required to have some type of license is nearly 30% today compared to 5% in the 1950’s. 

 

Anytime any new license requirement is proposed the public is told that it is being done to maintain public safety. While all of that rhetoric may sound good, I have found that word of mouth and a person’s reputation is the biggest deciding factor when the consumer needs to have some service. In my profession I am required to have a multitude of licenses to do my profession and I have done it for over 40 years. Not one time have I ever been asked by a customer or potential customer if I have a license. Granted, I live in a rural area, but when you need something done you will be a lot better off asking your friends and family for a recommendation instead of just relying upon a government issued license. I have come to the conclusion that the main purpose of a license fee is to limit competition and raise money to fund another department of government. However there is one profession that does not require a license in any state of the union. Have you guessed what that profession that might be? 

 

It is ironic that hard working people must have years of experience before they can do their work, but the politicians of this country have no requirement whatsoever. The people who have the power to pass idiotic legislation, waste taxpayer funds, declare war and regulate every aspect of our lives don’t even have to be literate. In the spirit of fair play maybe it would be a good idea to consider passing a law to require all politicians to do the same as the rest of us and be forced to have a license to legislate before they can even run for office. Most license requirements do little for the public safety, but licensing politicians might be the right step.