Business, Technology, Uncategorized, work

There Ought To Be A Law

46 Comments

In 1950, one out of every twenty people needed a license to engage in their profession or occupation.  Today, one out of every three people need  such a license.  Folks with a libertarian mind set see this as government overreach. They may be correct. Others see this as a natural result of the development of technology and/or the result of increasing instances of harm to the public by unscrupulous practitioners. They may be correct, too.

Regulation of any profession requiring a license is a balancing act. Regulatory boards are most often comprised of  of individuals who are active practitioners of the professions they regulate.  As a member of such a board, you have to balance the need to protect the public interest without restricting trade.  Sometimes boards fail at this. Recently, a Board of Dentistry in  a southern US state sent cease and desist letters to businesses in malls that were offering teeth whitening services.  The teeth whiteners protested, and the case ended up in the Supreme Court. The Court agreed with the teeth whiteners, and stated that the dentists were only concerned with profit for dentists, not with the public interest.  This has spurred an anti-regulatory movement, which complicates things for we who are really concerned with the public interest as well as with economic growth.

The problem with regulation is that no one wants it until they want it. If you recall, there were some hot air ballooning accidents last summer, and the immediate reaction was “Why weren’t these balloon companies regulated?!”  I attended a conference of regulatory boards for my own profession last week  I learned that, in Washington State, boxing announcers must be licensed.  That struck me as one of the funniest things I had heard in a long time. I have no idea  why that type of license is necessary. Government is the great equalizer, as 45 has yet to understand.  No one is above the law. The tension for regulation is uncomfortable, but necessary, in my opinion.

What laws would you pass if you could? What laws would you strike down? Why do you think boxing announcers need to be licensed?

 

46 thoughts on “There Ought To Be A Law”

  1. I have long favored a law that would guarantee that politicians of all sorts and levels would experience the full consequences of laws they pass. No exemptions or special treatments for lawmakers. For example, if they set up a law to penalize workers who fail to perform their work in a timely way, they too would have to meet deadlines or suffer the consequences.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. Hear, hear!

      And if they pass a law that strips affordable health care away or takes away health care for any pre-existing condition whatsoever, they should have the same health care as the rest of us. See how they like it. A lot of them are not very young people and it’s pretty difficult to reach a certain age and have absolutely no preexisting conditions whatsoever.

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply

  2. my laws would make the carbon footprint impact have a consequence
    if you pollute or choose to put the potato chips in a shiner silver lined bag that takes 100 years to fully become biodegradable then there is a consequence
    a plastic bottle or straw the world deals with because it is left to be thrown away by someone else and ends up in the ocean or the dump rather than in the recycle bin should have a consequence
    dye that makes you blue shirt blue that ends up in the river
    and oil that spills in the ocean should be billed in advance and given back as the proper behavior is observed not fined if there is a problem bug enkough to make the headlines

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

  3. Rise and Legislate, Baboons,

    One of the things about making laws is that no law will ever create competence. I have watched this for years. The “Barny Fifes” of the world–those with poor judgement, a hair trigger impulse, and a big mouth– exist in droves. No law will make those folks function well when you need discretion, impulse control, and a sense of what the situation calls for. I have also noticed that documentation of a situation also does not increase competence–just ask the Nazis who documented their own crimes thoroughly.

    My guess is that boxing announcers came under scrutiny after some announcer with a loud microphone and no social filter said some objectionable thing and a powerful legislator was in the room.

    The only law I want right now is to outlaw #45. He fits every characteristic I outlined in paragraph #1. His sole, competent skill is manipulating others into doing what he wants, including voting for him.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  5. Well I’m going to go with what I see as two big problems in the world today. Cell phones while driving and guns. Fill in the blanks as you wish.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  6. I’ve had a somewhat complicated corporate tax bill in mind. I can’t spell it out in detail, but I can explain the principle. I’d like to see corporations taxed on a sliding scale that would be keyed to the difference between CEO pay and the pay of most workers. Corporations that are generous to lower level workers would get the lowest rate of taxation. Corporations that screw workers but give huge rewards to bosses would qualify for the highest rate of taxation.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  8. As a lifetime member of the Libertarian Party, all I’ll say is that commerce and consumers will be better off when we increase the number of private product safety and vetting organizations like Consumer Reports, Underwriters’ Laboratory, Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, to name a few well-known examples. These groups and more of a similar type in different industries can replace govt. regulations that protect large businesses by heaping onerous requirements on mom-and-pop practitioners.

    If a product is unsafe or if a business is selling shoddy, dangerous, defective goods or services, or snake oil to cure cancer, a private group with no agenda that promptly informs consumers of subpar products or services will be more effective in the long run.

    But as we phase out govt. regulation, we must also phase in much stronger consumer EDUCATION that the world is not a safe place and Big Brother won’t take care of your every need and protect you from every little freakin’ dangerous or risky thing in the world. We’re somehow managing to raise a nation of perpetual adolescents who believe they’re entitled not to have anything go wrong in their lives and that they don’t have to think about the consequences of any action before taking that action.

    “Buyer Beware” means to educate yourself BEFORE purchasing a product or service. It doesn’t mean be ready to sue someone’s ass at the drop of a hat when that teeth whitener you bought causes your teeth to dissolve.
    *end of rant*

    Ahhh, that always feels good. 🙂

    Chris in Owatonna

    PS- my other comment is we need fewer laws, more sensible laws, but we must enforce the crap out of the laws we retain, so they have an impact and help maintain a level playing field for all consumers and businesses.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. I was going to add this yesterday, related to estimation in a way. Being awake a lot in the night I scan the infomercials and ads. So much outright snake oil, so much that violates basic science that people do not learn. For instance right no you can buy a little AC unit that sits in a room, as they say in you bedroom at night, and cools the air. Mind you the unit does not have an external exhaust of warm air.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  11. i would guess the announcer thing is like collecting union dues as opposed to regulations certifying correct announcing protocols
    new york and chicago are big union towns
    try announcing without being a member and we break your thumbs

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I think you’re right about that, tim, some licenses are not about protecting consumers but a way of generating revenues.

      Like

      Reply

      1. At the township, we have a permitting process for applying solid waste from the sewer plants on ag-land in our township. (None of us supervisors are in favor of applying that to our farm fields.). We are not allowed to say it is NOT acceptable, but we can put enough cost on the permit to make it undesirable for applicants.
        Modern red tape at it’s best!

        Liked by 3 people

        Reply

  12. The one law that I would reverse in a heartbeat is the Citizens United Supreme Court decision that unleashed a flood of campaign cash into our elections. Politics dictated by corporate interests have never worked well for most of us, and if our current administration hasn’t convinced you that it’s not working now, you’re not paying attention. How much longer before we get some relief?

    Like

    Reply

  14. The world is so complex I do not see how we can avoid licensures and regulations. Do you want your surgeon not licensed? Do you want her to experiment on you?
    There has been a push for aneteur teachers, removing license requirements. Let’s try it and see what we get. The problems in schools, as any idiot will see if he invests a little time in it, mirror the problems in our culture. To fix schools you have to address problems in the family and the current value system. We have made our children difficult to teach with our media, our technology, our materialism. Etc. we do not honor teaching and we are facing the results, which does not get reported. You think teachers have problems only in Kentucky? We here like everywhere cannot keep our young teachers in the classroom. A man told m last month that teachers are idiots because only an idiot when do such a meaningless job. This was a banking VP.
    the most important thing a person will ever do,the most complex role you will fill is done without a license, indeed it can be done by accident. We do not even honor its importance. Businesses do not honor it for their employees. Nor should we license parenting, but we should honor it and make it more important than jobs, than youth soccer, than fishing trips with the boys, etc.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

  15. I would outlaw the internet being down. I type this from the library, which thankfully still has their internet. Been down in our neighborhood since mid-morning Tuesday. I don’t realize how much I rely on my home computer/internet until something like this happens – since I have no smart phone, etc.

    I would definitely be in favor of laws that limit CEO incomes – the exorbitant ones. I want term limits in Congress. There is probably more, but my time is almost up here. Hope to “see” you tomorrow, Baboons.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  16. I would outlaw in-game interviews in baseball games, the way batteries are packaged, the My Pillow commercials, the term BOGO, flavored coffees and teas, my bank being bought out by a larger bank for the fifth time (the fourth time just happened), people rearranging their purse or wallet or whatever at the checkout counter,. I would require cell phones to put out a piercing screed if the phone is moving meaning the person is moving. I would require clinics and hospitals and banks and businesses to purchase local art instead of bring in that crap mass produced schlock.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  17. Like all of these. Well maybe not the flavored coffees and teas, not that I drink much of either but sometimes I like them. Especially like the local art idea.

    Like

    Reply

  18. Speaking of My Pillow, they have a D- or F from the BBB, which proves how much good private watchdog groups do. But I agree with our resident libertarian that they are the proper defense. Government cannot police such things. There are always enough people around to buy anything. And so it goes

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I really like my firm ‘My pillow’. And I gave it to my Mom and I went to a softer one. Don’t like the softer one and don’t want to buy another firm one and just have to see if my Mom is still using that one or not. I don’t think she liked it… just have to ask.
      But the commercials! Bleagh!! OFF WITH THEIR HEADS!

      Liked by 2 people

      Reply

      1. Republicans seem intent on tearing down as many regulations as they can. But there is one relatively new regulation I think most people would hate to see canceled: the one that forces TV commercials to be at the same volume as the entertainment programming. Remember what it was like when commercials were all at a higher volume?

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

        2. That’s my perception too, NS, but I’ve been attributing it my impaired hearing. “They” wouldn’t be flouting regulations still on the books, would they?

          Like

  19. People hate taxes and regulations, which is why so many people hate government. At the same time people want the benefits of taxes and regulations. That is, we want decent schools, roads not plagued with potholes and medicines that are made under regulations that make them relatively safe to use.

    One of our two national parties keeps insisting we don’t need taxes or regulations. When they get in office, that’s how they govern. And then we get things like that catastrophic recession that hit just as Obama took office.

    I “get” why people aren’t fond of taxes or regulations. They are a pain. I don’t like them either. But what I’ve seen keeps proving to me that an unregulated or tax-free world is not a fit place to live and raise a family. Of course, I’ve recently spent time in two states (Oregon & Michigan) that dramatically reflect the need for taxes and regulation.

    Like

    Reply

    1. Well, it seems they are fine with taxing people who don’t make a boatload of money and regulating people who come here from other countries.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    2. What a crock! The GOP are fine with regulations that affect women, immigrants, and people of color. They are fine with government intruding when it suits their purposes; it’s when it gets in the way of their greed we have a problem.

      Like

      Reply

        2. Sheesh, what’s wrong with the two of you? What’s wrong with a nice ceramic cup. But, OK, let’s get rid of the styrofoam cups.

          Liked by 1 person

  24. A lot of regulations make sense. If a lawn service uses chemicals on your lawn, they have to be licensed so that they don’t ruin the public waterways. If you leave that up to the BBB, a lot of people will just ignore science, and everyone will pay the price. So yes, by all means, let’s regulate that.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

Leave a comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.