A slight overreaction to my joke, but I see your point. On Aug 30, 2012 9:17 AM, "Merrill Oveson" <[email protected]> wrote:
> On Thu, Aug 30, 2012 at 8:26 AM, Adam Barrett <[email protected]> wrote: > > Maybe we should reconsider all this... make a yearly dues for all > > members joining after today. > > We all laugh, but this exactly how "artificial barriers to entry" come > to fruition. > > Consider for example getting your haircut. > > A number of barbers begin doing business. Business is good. > The barbers are busy and happy and because they are busy, they can > charge more per haircut. > Now others see that there is plenty of business being a barber. So > they become barbers. > Suddenly, the existing barbers aren't as busy as they'd like. > > They form an association. They lobby the legislature. > They say "In order to protect customers against <horror of all > horrors> a bad hair cut, we need to have licensing." > Of course who better to decide who can be a barber than the existing > association of barbers. > So they go out and require courses and tests - of course the test is > tough and not everyone passes. > In fact the number of new barbers who enter into business is directly > correlated with the how many new barbers the association > is willing to let in - which the associate controls by controlling the > courses and tests, etc. > > Here is a list of associations which have artificial barriers to > entry: AMA, ADA, Utah Bar Association, PSIA. > > PSIA - Professional Ski Instructors of America. I belong to this. > The tests are very tough and getting tougher. > > This exists everywhere in almost all industries. In Utah in order to > cut someone's finger nails professionally you have to be licensed. > > We should start an association of IT professionals - along with > legislation prohibiting anyone from providing any professional IT > services without > certification from the - well us. We're all automatically certified. > And yes, we only care about the customer. After all you won't want > someone to > mess up something as important as your computer. Well yes, we expect > to see an increase in wages - but that's besides the point. > > Washington wants to lower health care costs? Easy fix. While Obama > was spending money on the smell of pigs, etc., he should have been > spending the billions to build medical schools, then mandating to the > AMA the number of new doctors who will be admitted to the field. > The fact of the matter is that doctors don't mind the high cost of > medical care - which will only get more expensive - especially as the > population ages. > Why? For the same reason that person who cuts your hair doesn't mind > that he/she earns of higher wage due to the license that he/she holds. > > I'm not for abolishing all licensing - mind you - it has its place in > certain industries. However, keep in mind that when a group meets.. > > "People of the same trade seldom meet together, even for merriment and > diversion, but the conversation ends in a conspiracy against the > public, or in some contrivance to raise prices. It is impossible > indeed to prevent such meetings, by any law which either could be > executed, or would be consistent with liberty or justice. But though > the law cannot hinder people of the same trade from sometimes > assembling together, it ought to do nothing to facilitate such > assemblies; much less to render them necessary." > Adam Smith. > > _______________________________________________ > > UPHPU mailing list > [email protected] > http://uphpu.org/mailman/listinfo/uphpu > IRC: #uphpu on irc.freenode.net > _______________________________________________ UPHPU mailing list [email protected] http://uphpu.org/mailman/listinfo/uphpu IRC: #uphpu on irc.freenode.net
