Real freedom isn't something the government gives you; it's the freedom of being left alone by the government. It started with the Blue Laws--laws forcing businesses to be closed on Sunday mornings in order to allow people time to go to church. Today it is the mountains of regulations that businesses my adhere to or pay the price of breaking these regulations.
In the 1950's, about one in twenty small businesses required a license to operate; today it's greater than one in three. And the idea that we really need licenses to operate professionally or efficiently is ludicrous. If it made sense then we would need a license to have kids, not just to get married.
In Texas, if you want to be a computer technician you need to first get a private investigator's license. To do that, you need to either work with a licensed PI for three years as an apprentice, or get a degree in criminal justice. I wonder what the government sees as the reason for this requirement, but I'm sure someone like Jay Carney could explain it.
This blog that you're reading doesn't require that I license and register it, but the city of Philadelphia sees it differently. They require a $300 business privilege license to blog.
Massachusetts mandates that all children in daycare centers brush their teeth after lunch and they even supply the toothpaste. How nanny state of them.
If you want to give tours in Washington D.C., you must be licensed or face 90 days in jail. The only purpose this license can serve is to bring in revenue to the fat cats who make their living off of how you make yours.
In Santa Monica, California, it might be illegal for you to smoke in your own home. Smoking had already been banned on beaches, parks, restaurants and near office buildings, but that wasn't enough. Now the ban extends to new tenants in apartments and condos. Tenants who lived there prior to the ban don't have to worry--all they have to do is designate whether their place is "smoking" or "non-smoking."
These are just a few examples of crazy regulations; examples of how the government has become so intrusive in our lives that a day doesn't go by when they aren't involved in our activities. It's pretty bad when you even have to deal with the bureaucracy when going out of business, but that's exactly the case in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. If you want to have a "going out of business sale" you must first submit reams of paperwork itemizing what you plan to sell off. Next you must pay $2 on every $1000 worth of inventory you're planning to sell, and pay this fee whether or not it gets sold.
Finally, there's the intrusion of government in cases where they can force you to provide your services when you feel religiously compromised. This was the case last August in New Mexico when their Supreme Court ruled that a commercial photography business that offers services to the public "is subject to the state anti-discrimination laws." That is, they "must serve same-sex couples on the same basis that it serves opposite-sex couples." I'm not so sure that this is a case of discrimination--I believe it has to do with the photographer's religious beliefs and values, and her right to not perform a service that goes against these beliefs. It isn't like the gay couple can't go elsewhere and in the free market (where the government stays out of the equation) this business will reap the rewards or punishment of their decision.
Freedom is the right to make your own life decisions without government interference as long as you do not hurt or endanger others. In the free market, my decisions will affect my success.
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In the 1950's, about one in twenty small businesses required a license to operate; today it's greater than one in three. And the idea that we really need licenses to operate professionally or efficiently is ludicrous. If it made sense then we would need a license to have kids, not just to get married.
In Texas, if you want to be a computer technician you need to first get a private investigator's license. To do that, you need to either work with a licensed PI for three years as an apprentice, or get a degree in criminal justice. I wonder what the government sees as the reason for this requirement, but I'm sure someone like Jay Carney could explain it.
This blog that you're reading doesn't require that I license and register it, but the city of Philadelphia sees it differently. They require a $300 business privilege license to blog.
Massachusetts mandates that all children in daycare centers brush their teeth after lunch and they even supply the toothpaste. How nanny state of them.
If you want to give tours in Washington D.C., you must be licensed or face 90 days in jail. The only purpose this license can serve is to bring in revenue to the fat cats who make their living off of how you make yours.
In Santa Monica, California, it might be illegal for you to smoke in your own home. Smoking had already been banned on beaches, parks, restaurants and near office buildings, but that wasn't enough. Now the ban extends to new tenants in apartments and condos. Tenants who lived there prior to the ban don't have to worry--all they have to do is designate whether their place is "smoking" or "non-smoking."
These are just a few examples of crazy regulations; examples of how the government has become so intrusive in our lives that a day doesn't go by when they aren't involved in our activities. It's pretty bad when you even have to deal with the bureaucracy when going out of business, but that's exactly the case in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. If you want to have a "going out of business sale" you must first submit reams of paperwork itemizing what you plan to sell off. Next you must pay $2 on every $1000 worth of inventory you're planning to sell, and pay this fee whether or not it gets sold.
Finally, there's the intrusion of government in cases where they can force you to provide your services when you feel religiously compromised. This was the case last August in New Mexico when their Supreme Court ruled that a commercial photography business that offers services to the public "is subject to the state anti-discrimination laws." That is, they "must serve same-sex couples on the same basis that it serves opposite-sex couples." I'm not so sure that this is a case of discrimination--I believe it has to do with the photographer's religious beliefs and values, and her right to not perform a service that goes against these beliefs. It isn't like the gay couple can't go elsewhere and in the free market (where the government stays out of the equation) this business will reap the rewards or punishment of their decision.
Freedom is the right to make your own life decisions without government interference as long as you do not hurt or endanger others. In the free market, my decisions will affect my success.
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