Tag: Dumb

The Democrat party has been lost for some time to the progressive freak show that carries a disconnect about its intent and actions.  While griping about money in elections by big corporations, it calls out for bigger government that attracts such mechanisms.  While it decries the high cost of insurance and medical care, it uses the tools of government to discourage entry into the field of medicine, thus raising the cost.  While promising no mouth goes unfed, it has provided a trough that keeps the hands associated with those mouths idle and unproductive so they cannot feed themselves. Constantly the 'civil rights' violations, through our social compacts, are heralded as wrong, yet murdering of those who can least defend themselves is their rallying action. And at the same time that its activists want us out of their bedrooms, they put their genitalia in our faces and into our school programming.

Its a bizarro world.

Its a strange place and time, and I don't recognize my country or state any longer.  When the lies become the truth, and the truth is decried as meaningless, and a (very unhealthy)gun is put to our heads, so that someone who has made poor choices with regard to their own health care might be made better.

But it didn't hurt so much until the last 2 decades, and the damage was somewhat limited until the Republicans allowed it to become mainstream.

Of course we can't have that, now can we? After all, people might get hurt... or something.

Now Michigan state Senator Jason Allen wants to add the personal care provider to the list of occupations requiring licenses. Yet again, the claim is that some class of people, in this case senior citizens, are getting hurt due to the lack of licensure.

I'm not going to waste my time with particular occupations and why they shouldn't be licensed. There's a simple reason for that: Because licensure of any occupation is completely unneeded and in many cases can lead to rent seeking/collecting activities.

"Oh my God, Jason! Are you serious?!?! We can't have Joe Citizen practicing law, they'll give bad advice!" Will they? Maybe, maybe not. The absence of a bar license has no bearing whatsoever on whether someone has knowledge of the law or not. After all, if that were the case, people shouldn't be allowed to represent themselves pro se, right?

Of course the follow up concern is how people know if someone performs quality work or is even competent in the profession if they don't have a license. It's simple: The market.

Agreed, it's hard, if not impossible, to tell whether someone is good when they're just entering the market. However, that should bear no evidence to support the claim that licensure for 'x' occupation is needed. Even burger flippers have to start somewhere, and the fast food joints that hire them for the first time are taking a chance.

"See Jason! You just proved our point. People would never want to take a chance with a doctor who isn't licensed and has no prior experience!" It may certainly be true that people wouldn't want a doctor making medical decisions or performing procedures solo without out much, or any, experience, but that sort of thing is where apprenticeship comes in. It's been used in many trades for generations, and it works!

I mean hell, I changed the ball joint on my Buick with the help of my buddy, who is not a certified mechanic, and it's working just fine.

Then of course once people establish themselves, if they are good, they will get recommended. If they suck, they won't get recommended, and people may actively warn others of them. Quite simple really.

If someone legitimately messes up however and can't perform the services they claim, then that is what the court system is for. However, to preemptively say "you can't practice in this field until you get 'x' license" is nothing less than a) Guilty until proven innocent and possibly b) Rent seeking.

"Rent seeking? What the hell is that?" This is a damn good example. Guess what, it's usually these "institutes" pushing for licensing that are the ones collecting money from mandatory training and testing to get the license.