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In my experience, licensed handymen and contractors aren't much better. It sure is good to know that, while cops in many cities are giving up going after "low

In my experience, licensed handymen and contractors aren't much better. It sure is good to know that, while cops in many cities are giving up going after "low level" property crime, they are now so bored that they've got conduct elaborate sting operations on people for using a wrench on someone's leaky pipe without a license.

antupis 7y ago
Occupational licensing is bad for economy and people generally https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupational_licensing#Evidence_on_the_effects_of_occupational_licensing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupational_licensing#Evidenc...
- jariel 7y ago
  Can't agree there. You definitely want your doctor, optometrist, dentist to be licensed. You definitely want your wiring to be done by a proper electrician. You want your new building signed of by a licensed Engineer. Etc.. General carpentry is a little bit different, but those with proper apprenticeships are considerably more likely to be better, but in that case, it's not a guarantee. The wikipedia article you presented as evidence has some troubling issues. Much of it is focused on the fact that 'without licensing' there's 'more growth' in the given field of employment, which is obvious and mostly beside the point: the issue is competence. When measuring quality they mention "find that occupational licensing of dentists does not lead to improved measured dental outcomes of patients, but is associated with higher price" - which is deeply disingenuous because it's likely related to specific kinds of licensing as oppose do the 'material issue of competence' which is the fact said dentists actually attended dental school. Can you imagine for a second someone giving you fillings, scrips, pulling out teeth, x-rays without having gone to dentistry school? What the state needs to do is make clear which occupations are licensed, which are not, and the kinds of work that can be done otherwise. Replacing a doorknob or a water faucet may be a bridge too far for licensing requirements, but doing anything 'load-bearing' for example might be within the purview of regulation.
  - yostrovs 7y ago
    Please speak for yourself. I do my own electric work and I can use an app to create an eye glasses prescription, though electricians have to be licensed and optometrist are only ones that can write a glasses script. How about filling up your car with gasoline? Do you do it yourself or have a professional do it safely instead for you?
    - Psyladine 7y ago
      >You definitely want your doctor, optometrist, dentist to be licensed. >>Please speak for yourself. 90% of any profession can be jury rigged by almost anyone. The remaining 10%, including the liability behind their actions, is why they get paid to do it for a living. If you want to superglue your wounds and run your own electrical grid more power to you, but none of us are islands and you live within an insulated bubble created by the professional standards of those around you.
      - yostrovs 7y ago
        Superglue is used in medicine, including heart surgery, to bind tissues.
    - jariel 7y ago
      "How about filling up your car with gasoline? Do you do it yourself or have a professional do it safely instead for you?" Yes, why don't you go have your appendix taken out by someone who 'saw a video on youtube'.
  - fnordfnordfnord 7y ago
    Effective regulation might be okay. Then maybe people like former Dr. Christopher Duntsch wouldn't be able to practice for years, killing and maiming dozens of patients.
    - jariel 7y ago
      Seriously? That's your logic? Here on HN? So let's just let anyone be a doctor then? Tell you what: let's divide North America into two parts - you take the 'anyone with a pair of pliers can be a doctor 1/2' and I'll take the 'actual trained doctor 1/2' and we'll see how it works out.

antupis 7y ago

Occupational licensing is bad for economy and people generally https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupational_licensing#Evidence_on_the_effects_of_occupational_licensing https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupational_licensing#Evidenc...

jariel 7y ago
Can't agree there. You definitely want your doctor, optometrist, dentist to be licensed. You definitely want your wiring to be done by a proper electrician. You want your new building signed of by a licensed Engineer. Etc.. General carpentry is a little bit different, but those with proper apprenticeships are considerably more likely to be better, but in that case, it's not a guarantee. The wikipedia article you presented as evidence has some troubling issues. Much of it is focused on the fact that 'without licensing' there's 'more growth' in the given field of employment, which is obvious and mostly beside the point: the issue is competence. When measuring quality they mention "find that occupational licensing of dentists does not lead to improved measured dental outcomes of patients, but is associated with higher price" - which is deeply disingenuous because it's likely related to specific kinds of licensing as oppose do the 'material issue of competence' which is the fact said dentists actually attended dental school. Can you imagine for a second someone giving you fillings, scrips, pulling out teeth, x-rays without having gone to dentistry school? What the state needs to do is make clear which occupations are licensed, which are not, and the kinds of work that can be done otherwise. Replacing a doorknob or a water faucet may be a bridge too far for licensing requirements, but doing anything 'load-bearing' for example might be within the purview of regulation.
- yostrovs 7y ago
  Please speak for yourself. I do my own electric work and I can use an app to create an eye glasses prescription, though electricians have to be licensed and optometrist are only ones that can write a glasses script. How about filling up your car with gasoline? Do you do it yourself or have a professional do it safely instead for you?
  - Psyladine 7y ago
    >You definitely want your doctor, optometrist, dentist to be licensed. >>Please speak for yourself. 90% of any profession can be jury rigged by almost anyone. The remaining 10%, including the liability behind their actions, is why they get paid to do it for a living. If you want to superglue your wounds and run your own electrical grid more power to you, but none of us are islands and you live within an insulated bubble created by the professional standards of those around you.
    - yostrovs 7y ago
      Superglue is used in medicine, including heart surgery, to bind tissues.
  - jariel 7y ago
    "How about filling up your car with gasoline? Do you do it yourself or have a professional do it safely instead for you?" Yes, why don't you go have your appendix taken out by someone who 'saw a video on youtube'.
- fnordfnordfnord 7y ago
  Effective regulation might be okay. Then maybe people like former Dr. Christopher Duntsch wouldn't be able to practice for years, killing and maiming dozens of patients.
  - jariel 7y ago
    Seriously? That's your logic? Here on HN? So let's just let anyone be a doctor then? Tell you what: let's divide North America into two parts - you take the 'anyone with a pair of pliers can be a doctor 1/2' and I'll take the 'actual trained doctor 1/2' and we'll see how it works out.