> why does the article's author want to deny the poor and less well educated segment of the small business community its fair share of the economic protection

> why does the article's author want to deny the poor and less well educated segment of the small business community its fair share of the economic protection which occupational licensing offers? Well, obviously, no one deserves a particular "fair share" of a business. That's basically saying that they own a certain number of people as customers, which is almost like micro-slavery. (And if there's enough businesses where someone owns the rights to you as a customer, it gets progressively more and more so.) But beyond that, who would be the competition for the "poor and less well educated segment of the small business community" afforded protection? Surely a new entrant into the hair-braiding business is more likely to be poorer and less-well educated than someone who is already in the business and influential enough to be lobbying occupational licensing boards.