Licensing Racket

Protectionism in the name of public safety... I hope that the 30 or so "unlicensed," and therefore, obviously unprofessional, ill-trained hacks disguised as mid-wives, fight this proposal.

Licensing laws are anti-competitive rackets designed to limit the supply of services, artificially insulate fees from the market, and thus tend to stifle innovation and the need to increase productivity. It sure is easy to use the power of the state to protect your marketshare from would-be competitors. Throughout history, craft guilds, trade associations (including state bars), and licensing boards have utilized their collective sway for the benefit of their own numbers at the expense of new-comers and potential competitors - and to the economic detriment of consumers. In each case, the proponents of such sanctions have invoked "public safety" and "professional standards" as the basis for their restrictions. Bull squeeze. This is nothing more than organized rent-seeking that ultimately diminishes the freedom of of us all. Lets go, IJ.