Imagine
No the Skeptic isn't thinking about the John Lennon song, he's trying to imagine a world where the government really is as inconsequential in our lives as possible. Rick Perry might have said it first but it resonated with the Skeptic. And no, that is not an endorsement of Mr. Perry.
Think about this, there is virtually nothing you can do anymore without some governmental body asserting its right to interfere at even the most basic level, from what you eat, what you drive, where you live, to what your kids are taught in school. Suppose you live near a lake or pond and decide that you want to cut down a few trees for a better view, don't do it without a permit that will take months to get, it could cost you a thousand bucks a tree or more in fines, no, the Skeptic isn't exaggerating, a thousand a tree is the going rate. Want to build a new house? You need septic permits, driveway permits, the building permit itself, and...before you can get that building permit, some states, maybe all, want you to fill out forms telling the state how many windows you plan on putting in your dream house. Okay, you say, that's not so bad, a house is a big investment, the government is making sure everything is done properly. they're really just trying to protect you and the environment, right?
Maybe you want to start a business, not a big business, nothing earth shattering, maybe you'd like to cut hair, maybe you'd just like to have a little old fashion one chair barbershop, surely you could just rent a storefront, install a barber chair, put up your red, white and blue barber pole and start cutting hair, right? Hold on, not just yet, you need a business license, you need a health certificate, you need a license to cut hair, you must have attended a school to learn how to cut hair, you certainly didn't think because you have a knack for it and wanted to make a little money with your talent you could just go into business did you?
How about a diner? Everyone loves your cooking and you think you'd like making a little extra money so why not? Sorry, it's the same old story, health certificate from one city agency, building permits from another, wait, building permits? You're not going to build a diner, you just rented a little place by the side of the road, you need building permits? Yes building permits, at least if you want to put up a counter and a few booths and yes, you need the business license and that's probably not everything, in bigger cities you'll need more.
Okay, forget about the diner and the barbershop, you're the handy type and you want to put your knowledge to work so you decide to become a contractor. Surely you could just build a few decks for the neighbors...? Nope, sorry, it doesn't matter what kind of contractor, plumber, general contractor, heating and air conditioner guy, it doesn't matter, in most states they all require a license as well.
Doctor, lawyer, architect, dentist, therapist, they all require licensing by the state. If you're already in business there's a good chance some of what you do is regulated by the Feds. Manufacture cars or planes or boats? There are a multitude of federal regulations that you deal with on a regular basis. Emissions, safety requirements, gas mileage standards, they are all regulated by some federal agency or another, sometimes several agencies. Democrats and even some Republicans will tell you this isn't a problem, they'll tell you this is what makes our lives safe. The government is your friend, it's only there for for your protection, imagine the carnage if it weren't for your government.
Well...big surprise here, the Skeptic is skeptical to say the least. Some of these things might be good but do we really need the government to hold our hand in every situation? Or slap our wrists if we don't conform to their idea of what's good for us? The Skeptic doesn't think so, in fact the Skeptic thinks these are exactly the problems our economy faces in addition to all the trillions of dollars we owe to everyone and since we can't get rid of the debt with a snap of the fingers we should deal with the overreaching arms of government. Yes, the Skeptic has pointed out quite a few problems and the Skeptic thinks if someone points out a problem they ought to offer up an idea or two on how to solve the problem. Pointing out the obvious hardly helps if you're not going offer up a solution, anyone can point out problems.
Maybe you're someone who believes all these licenses and regulations governments require protect us but is that actually the case or do they just make us lazy and easy marks for criminals? Huh? How could that be you ask? Well, think about it, just as an example here, what do all the consumer protection agencies tell us to do when hiring a contractor? Make sure he's licensed...right? So you're a savvy consumer, you do all the due diligence but the licensed guy you hire turns out to be a nightmare anyway. You know it happens, they do television shows about it. You know other people who have had the same experience. How is that possible, the government is watching these people, they have all sorts of regulations so how is it possible that you could hire some incompetent contractor who screws up the job and probably costs you more than a quality craftsman would charge. It's possible because we trust that licensed contractors, or barbers, or doctors or whatever are honest and competent. They went through the effort to get a license so they must be okay but we all know that is not the case so why bother? Seriously, what the hell is the point of employing all manner of government bureaucrats to draw up the rules and inspectors to enforce them if it doesn't work? I might be overly skeptical but I wonder if it might just be to create more government jobs.
There's a better way and it's not complicated and it would generate millions of jobs, private sector jobs which are the best kind because they don't cost the taxpayer anything and they generate tax dollars. Before I start let's be clear that I'm not saying we should allow people to hang up a shingle and call themselves doctors but I am asking why we bother bother to license them? Or any other occupation? If you go to medical school and graduate you should be able to rent an office and start treating people and the same goes for any profession. Wouldn't it be smarter if we took a little personal responsibility? When we go to a doctor we could be our own inspectors, before you allow a doctor to treat you you'd be smart to ask to see his diploma and maybe even his or her grades. If we hire a contractor we could ask for a list of references...and actually call them. If you go to a barber, well, you could take your chances...it's only hair, it'll grow back.
There would be problems with this approach of course but there are problems now, there will always be problems, we're human, there are bad actors everywhere and the government cannot sort them all out for us, we wish it could but it can't. In the Skeptic's plan the marketplace would take the place of the government and it wouldn't cost us anything. The bad actors in every profession would be sorted out, the bad ones would be sued or word would get out that they didn't know what they were doing and soon they would have to go away because everyone would be onto their act. It's especially easy in a world where the internet can spread the word, good or bad, about anyone in a matter of seconds, think Angie's List. Why pay the government billions of dollars to watch out for us when we are perfectly capable of doing the job ourselves?
Yes, we need some regulation, we need to be sure our doctors went to med school but we don't need to watch them as if they were irresponsible children. The same goes for all the other occupations that currently require a license, let the market decide who is good at their job and drop all the unnecessary licensing requirements.
If people didn't have to jump through all the regulatory hoops we now have in place to protect us from each other the Skeptic believes business would flourish in this country. People would create their own jobs if it didn't cost a fortune to set up even the simplest of businesses.
In our zeal to protect ourselves from every possible form of harm that could befall a human being we've gone utterly bonkers. Everyone is in a constant state of fear and no matter what the government tells you, it can't protect us from everything, nothing can.
We need to accept the fact that risk is out there and then go about our lives. Yes we do need regulation and consumer protection...but only to a point. Unfortunately, after the government began regulating us each generation of bureaucrats and lawmakers spent too much time trying to outdo their predecessors. It's become a contest to see just how far we can be pushed before we collectively snap. The result of all those good intentions has created a sea of rules and regulation that are strangling our economy. The Skeptic thinks if we release ourselves from the shackles of over regulation we'd find that we could breathe again and the economy would take off.
Think about this, there is virtually nothing you can do anymore without some governmental body asserting its right to interfere at even the most basic level, from what you eat, what you drive, where you live, to what your kids are taught in school. Suppose you live near a lake or pond and decide that you want to cut down a few trees for a better view, don't do it without a permit that will take months to get, it could cost you a thousand bucks a tree or more in fines, no, the Skeptic isn't exaggerating, a thousand a tree is the going rate. Want to build a new house? You need septic permits, driveway permits, the building permit itself, and...before you can get that building permit, some states, maybe all, want you to fill out forms telling the state how many windows you plan on putting in your dream house. Okay, you say, that's not so bad, a house is a big investment, the government is making sure everything is done properly. they're really just trying to protect you and the environment, right?
Maybe you want to start a business, not a big business, nothing earth shattering, maybe you'd like to cut hair, maybe you'd just like to have a little old fashion one chair barbershop, surely you could just rent a storefront, install a barber chair, put up your red, white and blue barber pole and start cutting hair, right? Hold on, not just yet, you need a business license, you need a health certificate, you need a license to cut hair, you must have attended a school to learn how to cut hair, you certainly didn't think because you have a knack for it and wanted to make a little money with your talent you could just go into business did you?
How about a diner? Everyone loves your cooking and you think you'd like making a little extra money so why not? Sorry, it's the same old story, health certificate from one city agency, building permits from another, wait, building permits? You're not going to build a diner, you just rented a little place by the side of the road, you need building permits? Yes building permits, at least if you want to put up a counter and a few booths and yes, you need the business license and that's probably not everything, in bigger cities you'll need more.
Okay, forget about the diner and the barbershop, you're the handy type and you want to put your knowledge to work so you decide to become a contractor. Surely you could just build a few decks for the neighbors...? Nope, sorry, it doesn't matter what kind of contractor, plumber, general contractor, heating and air conditioner guy, it doesn't matter, in most states they all require a license as well.
Doctor, lawyer, architect, dentist, therapist, they all require licensing by the state. If you're already in business there's a good chance some of what you do is regulated by the Feds. Manufacture cars or planes or boats? There are a multitude of federal regulations that you deal with on a regular basis. Emissions, safety requirements, gas mileage standards, they are all regulated by some federal agency or another, sometimes several agencies. Democrats and even some Republicans will tell you this isn't a problem, they'll tell you this is what makes our lives safe. The government is your friend, it's only there for for your protection, imagine the carnage if it weren't for your government.
Well...big surprise here, the Skeptic is skeptical to say the least. Some of these things might be good but do we really need the government to hold our hand in every situation? Or slap our wrists if we don't conform to their idea of what's good for us? The Skeptic doesn't think so, in fact the Skeptic thinks these are exactly the problems our economy faces in addition to all the trillions of dollars we owe to everyone and since we can't get rid of the debt with a snap of the fingers we should deal with the overreaching arms of government. Yes, the Skeptic has pointed out quite a few problems and the Skeptic thinks if someone points out a problem they ought to offer up an idea or two on how to solve the problem. Pointing out the obvious hardly helps if you're not going offer up a solution, anyone can point out problems.
Maybe you're someone who believes all these licenses and regulations governments require protect us but is that actually the case or do they just make us lazy and easy marks for criminals? Huh? How could that be you ask? Well, think about it, just as an example here, what do all the consumer protection agencies tell us to do when hiring a contractor? Make sure he's licensed...right? So you're a savvy consumer, you do all the due diligence but the licensed guy you hire turns out to be a nightmare anyway. You know it happens, they do television shows about it. You know other people who have had the same experience. How is that possible, the government is watching these people, they have all sorts of regulations so how is it possible that you could hire some incompetent contractor who screws up the job and probably costs you more than a quality craftsman would charge. It's possible because we trust that licensed contractors, or barbers, or doctors or whatever are honest and competent. They went through the effort to get a license so they must be okay but we all know that is not the case so why bother? Seriously, what the hell is the point of employing all manner of government bureaucrats to draw up the rules and inspectors to enforce them if it doesn't work? I might be overly skeptical but I wonder if it might just be to create more government jobs.
There's a better way and it's not complicated and it would generate millions of jobs, private sector jobs which are the best kind because they don't cost the taxpayer anything and they generate tax dollars. Before I start let's be clear that I'm not saying we should allow people to hang up a shingle and call themselves doctors but I am asking why we bother bother to license them? Or any other occupation? If you go to medical school and graduate you should be able to rent an office and start treating people and the same goes for any profession. Wouldn't it be smarter if we took a little personal responsibility? When we go to a doctor we could be our own inspectors, before you allow a doctor to treat you you'd be smart to ask to see his diploma and maybe even his or her grades. If we hire a contractor we could ask for a list of references...and actually call them. If you go to a barber, well, you could take your chances...it's only hair, it'll grow back.
There would be problems with this approach of course but there are problems now, there will always be problems, we're human, there are bad actors everywhere and the government cannot sort them all out for us, we wish it could but it can't. In the Skeptic's plan the marketplace would take the place of the government and it wouldn't cost us anything. The bad actors in every profession would be sorted out, the bad ones would be sued or word would get out that they didn't know what they were doing and soon they would have to go away because everyone would be onto their act. It's especially easy in a world where the internet can spread the word, good or bad, about anyone in a matter of seconds, think Angie's List. Why pay the government billions of dollars to watch out for us when we are perfectly capable of doing the job ourselves?
Yes, we need some regulation, we need to be sure our doctors went to med school but we don't need to watch them as if they were irresponsible children. The same goes for all the other occupations that currently require a license, let the market decide who is good at their job and drop all the unnecessary licensing requirements.
If people didn't have to jump through all the regulatory hoops we now have in place to protect us from each other the Skeptic believes business would flourish in this country. People would create their own jobs if it didn't cost a fortune to set up even the simplest of businesses.
In our zeal to protect ourselves from every possible form of harm that could befall a human being we've gone utterly bonkers. Everyone is in a constant state of fear and no matter what the government tells you, it can't protect us from everything, nothing can.
We need to accept the fact that risk is out there and then go about our lives. Yes we do need regulation and consumer protection...but only to a point. Unfortunately, after the government began regulating us each generation of bureaucrats and lawmakers spent too much time trying to outdo their predecessors. It's become a contest to see just how far we can be pushed before we collectively snap. The result of all those good intentions has created a sea of rules and regulation that are strangling our economy. The Skeptic thinks if we release ourselves from the shackles of over regulation we'd find that we could breathe again and the economy would take off.