Patrick R. Gibbons
Licensed to exclude
Licensing laws limit competition and increase prices
Earlier this month a federal judge struck down a provision of Connecticut law that forbid the use of "interior designer" as a job title by those not licensed by the state. The judge ruled correctly that the law unduly restricted commercial speech. But more importantly, the law's chief intent was to restrict the supply of interior designers in the state — mainly to protect an interior-decorating cartel.
Invested in mediocrity
Washoe County School District ignores law on education reform
Unfortunately, Nevada's public education runs largely on the same principles as the Soviet Union economy. Central-office bureaucrats ration teachers, books, maps, computers, administrators, janitors, basketballs, light bulbs, etc. — despite inferior knowledge of what resources are needed where and who needs them most. This ineffective use of scarce resources means shortages, waste and large bureaucracies that, predictably, become ends in themselves. Jobs for adults, rather than education for the children, become the priority. The Washoe County School District is no exception.
