Joe Stanley

barticles:

Thank Heaven we have occupational licensing boards and local law-enforcement agencies standing ready to protect Americans from the scourge of unlicensed plumbers and carpet layers:

Occupational licensing boards in seven states launched a sting operation last week, catching 157 unlicensed contractors looking to work without a state permission slip. Officials in Arizona, California, Nevada, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, and Utah responded to internet ads for carpeting, plumbing, HVAC, and other home improvement services, luring would-be workers to home sites where investigators waited.

Coordinated with help from the National Association of State Contractors Licensing Agencies (NASCLA), which seeks “better regulation of the construction industry to protect the health, welfare, and safety of the public,” the sting is the latest in a slew of enforcement activity aimed at unlicensed home improvement contractors nationwide.

Gee, and people wonder why the unemployment rolls are still so high. Couldn’t possibly because service cartels are using government power to squeeze out the competition, could it? Naah, that’s crazy talk.

The proliferation of licensing is a serious economic issue that is too-often overlooked at the state level because current interests > potential future interests.