Post by RS Davis on Apr 6, 2004 14:15:14 GMT -5
[shadow=red,left,300]GOOD NEWS, BAD NEWS, UNBELIEVABLE NEWS[/shadow]
[shadow=red,left,300]by James W. Harris[/shadow]
Seventeen-year-old entrepreneur Christian Alf set out to help his
neighbors by creating an after-school business rat-proofing their
houses. His method was simple but effective: he placed wire mesh over
rooftop vents to keep roof-rats out.
It was a good way to make money, and a good way to help his neighbors,
many of them elderly and plagued by rats.
However, after the Arizona Republic newspaper ran a story about his
business, Christian quickly found himself battling another, far more
dangerous form of vermin: dictatorial bureauc-rats.
A complaint was filed with the Arizona Structural Pest Control
Commission, arguing that young Christian was operating a pest control
business without a license.
It seems that some professional pest control companies supply a
service similar to Christian's -- but for far more money than the $30
Christian charged his neighbors. And they apparently didn't like the
competition.
The Commission launched an investigation. Government agents visited
Christian. The state Commission ordered Christian to shut down his
part-time business -- or face a $1,000 fine.
However, Christian refused to give in. Instead, he spoke out. And this
was such an outrageous case that the normally apathetic public raised
a furor. The Commission was flooded with letters. Newspaper columnists
fumed and jeered. The case drew national attention.
The Institute for Justice, a libertarian legal defense organization,
jumped in the fray, threatening a lawsuit to defend Christian's right
to fight rats without government permission.
After nearly two weeks of this the Commission gave in, claiming they
had never really ordered Christian to stop in the first place, wishing
him all the best, and so on.
So Christian is back in business, rats are being thwarted, and all's
well. Right?
Well, not quite.
America is plagued with local and state regulatory bodies that
routinely throttle free enterprise and prevent untold numbers of
talented and hardworking people from entering a great variety of
fields.
These boards and commissions, although they say they exist to protect
the public, actually exist to protect powerful business interests by
limiting and outlawing competition. And usually the victims aren't
17-year-olds with stories that can draw such public and media
sympathy. And unfortunately, the libertarian Institute for Justice
can't defend but a fraction of the cases.
The poor are hit particularly hard by such boards, which both prohibit
them from entering many fields and keep the price of needed services
artificially high.
There are thousands and thousands of victims like Christian Alf. Their
stories go largely unheard. Each one is an outrage in a country
founded on the ideals of entrepreneurship and free enterprise.
(Sources: Arizona Republic:
www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/0331wed1-31.html
Institute for Justice:
www.ij.org/media/economic_liberty/az_pest_control/3_24_04pr.shtml
Special thanks to Alice Lillie.)
[shadow=red,left,300]by James W. Harris[/shadow]
Seventeen-year-old entrepreneur Christian Alf set out to help his
neighbors by creating an after-school business rat-proofing their
houses. His method was simple but effective: he placed wire mesh over
rooftop vents to keep roof-rats out.
It was a good way to make money, and a good way to help his neighbors,
many of them elderly and plagued by rats.
However, after the Arizona Republic newspaper ran a story about his
business, Christian quickly found himself battling another, far more
dangerous form of vermin: dictatorial bureauc-rats.
A complaint was filed with the Arizona Structural Pest Control
Commission, arguing that young Christian was operating a pest control
business without a license.
It seems that some professional pest control companies supply a
service similar to Christian's -- but for far more money than the $30
Christian charged his neighbors. And they apparently didn't like the
competition.
The Commission launched an investigation. Government agents visited
Christian. The state Commission ordered Christian to shut down his
part-time business -- or face a $1,000 fine.
However, Christian refused to give in. Instead, he spoke out. And this
was such an outrageous case that the normally apathetic public raised
a furor. The Commission was flooded with letters. Newspaper columnists
fumed and jeered. The case drew national attention.
The Institute for Justice, a libertarian legal defense organization,
jumped in the fray, threatening a lawsuit to defend Christian's right
to fight rats without government permission.
After nearly two weeks of this the Commission gave in, claiming they
had never really ordered Christian to stop in the first place, wishing
him all the best, and so on.
So Christian is back in business, rats are being thwarted, and all's
well. Right?
Well, not quite.
America is plagued with local and state regulatory bodies that
routinely throttle free enterprise and prevent untold numbers of
talented and hardworking people from entering a great variety of
fields.
These boards and commissions, although they say they exist to protect
the public, actually exist to protect powerful business interests by
limiting and outlawing competition. And usually the victims aren't
17-year-olds with stories that can draw such public and media
sympathy. And unfortunately, the libertarian Institute for Justice
can't defend but a fraction of the cases.
The poor are hit particularly hard by such boards, which both prohibit
them from entering many fields and keep the price of needed services
artificially high.
There are thousands and thousands of victims like Christian Alf. Their
stories go largely unheard. Each one is an outrage in a country
founded on the ideals of entrepreneurship and free enterprise.
(Sources: Arizona Republic:
www.azcentral.com/arizonarepublic/opinions/articles/0331wed1-31.html
Institute for Justice:
www.ij.org/media/economic_liberty/az_pest_control/3_24_04pr.shtml
Special thanks to Alice Lillie.)
