People
already in a business induce government to keep others out. The shortage of workers
brings higher prices. The poor get hit twice: They’re excluded from the jobs, and
they pay higher prices for their purchases.
Every
state licenses hair stylists, requiring an average of 372 days training. A black
woman wants to make a living braiding hair? Fine, but she has to fork over for a
year of unnecessary training.
You
want to shine shoes on the streets of Washington, DC? That’ll be $1,500 in fees.
Mayor
Blumberg banned salty or fatty food donations to NYC homeless. Going hungry beats
consuming salt and fat, right?
Many
states impose onerous requirements on child day-care centers. Mothers who can’t
pay the high costs can’t accept jobs outside the home.
Requirements
that mandate college degrees exclude many minorities.
Louisiana
licenses florists. It’s so important for government to protect citizens from unattractive
flower arrangements.
The
top priorities of licensing boards: protecting the turf of those already in the
business and raising money for the state. Ex-cons don’t have the money for training
and fees. Well, they can always return to crime.
Consumers,
not government boards, should choose those who serve them by buying from some
and not from others. Free markets help everyone except bureaucrats. Freedom from
government interference helps the poor most.
