TheStreet.com recently published an article titled, “5 Jobs That Are Under Government Attack“. Along with the professions listed were some ridiculous laws requiring college degrees and licenses for certain professions:
- Texas requires computer repair technicians to get a private investigator’s license, which could require a degree in criminal justice or three-year apprenticeship.
- New Jersey told yoga teachers and martial arts instructors two years ago that they had to get a state license or face fines of up to $50,000.
- In Washington, D.C., unlicensed tour guides can be punished for historical chitchat for up to 90 days in jail.
- In Florida, officials threatened an interior designer with a $25,000 fine if she didn’t complete a six-year apprenticeship and pass a test required to be recognized as a legal practitioner of that profession.
- Under Louisiana law, it is a crime for anyone but a licensed funeral director to sell “funeral merchandise.” To sell caskets legally, the monks say they would have to “abandon their calling for one full year to apprentice at a licensed funeral home, learn unnecessary skills and take a funeral industry test.” They would also have to convert their monastery into a “funeral establishment” by, among other things, installing equipment for embalming human remains.
Why do you ask the government for permission to do what you’re perfectly capable of doing without the government’s permission? When will Americans stop giving up their freedom to do business in their community in exchange for a government-issued license?
