American history has been defined by innovation and mobility. But increasingly, government regulations, licenses and “benefits” are forcing Americans to stay put. See here. “The percentage of Americans moving every year is less than half that of a half-century ago and down significantly since the early 1990s.”
Category: Government licensing
Nov 08
Woman faces prison time for selling Mexican food without government permit
An unemployed Stockton, California woman mentioned on her Facebook page that she would sell a sample of her homemade ceviche (a South American dish of marinated raw fish) for $12. An overpaid, underworked, undercover government investigator responded to the Facebook ad, purchased his meal and left. Now the woman faces prison time for selling food …
Aug 19
In Boston, every Uber customer must contribute a nickel to sustain dying government-monopoly taxi industry
The taxicab industry has been so overregulated for so long that it cannot survive any exposure to real-world, market forces. Many states grant monopoly jurisdictions to cab companies and control prices, fares, numbers of drivers, and numbers of cabs. Poor people who want to start a cab company are simply not allowed. In fact, many …
Jul 04
Federal regulations are choking America: We are all 75 percent poorer because of them
According to a new time-series study by economists John Dawson of Appalachian State University and John Seater of North Carolina State, U.S. regulations have prevented the American economy from being productive and inventive. Because of this, U.S. GDP is just $16 trillion instead of $54 trillion. Ronald Bailey writes that “the growth of federal regulations …
Jun 23
American home ownership at lowest in nearly 50 years
Overregulation by government, near-zero interest rates, student loan debt, and near all-time-low savings rates have devastated home ownership rates. Home ownership is at its lowest in nearly 50 years, falling to 63.7 percent in 2015. It’s a “decade-long slide” that “is unprecedented in American history,” according to an annual report released Wednesday by Harvard University’s …
Jun 21
6 per cent of America’s prime-age male population are ex-convicts
Financial Times recently reviewed the economic problems facing America’s lower-class males. Males of prime working age have abandoned work, as regulation and the criminal justice system have taken their tolls. See here. “Between 6 and 7 per cent of the prime-age male population was in prison at some point during their lives in 2008.”
Jun 12
State Licensed Security Officer Allegedly Murders 50 Innocents
Today’s news reports are dominated by the murderous rampage of Omar Mateen (pictured, wearing New York Police Department shirts). Mateen is a licensed security officer in Florida, who apparently worships police authoritarianism. See here.
May 05
Tennessee requires 300 hours of government training to shampoo hair
The poor in today’s America are getting poorer all the time, relative to the rest of American society. The reason is government regulation, which keeps poor people from being free to pursue rewarding careers or to otherwise be productive. Many states require licenses for people to enter even the simplest professions such as barbering, managing …
Apr 21
American businesses are in decline due to overregulation
Trusters of government have been pouring on regulations since the 1990s. Here is a Washington Post story about the decline of American entrepreneurship. Fewer business are launching. More are leaving, liquidating or dying. The average age of businesses is getting older (as young people stop starting businesses due to onerous licensing requirements). Thus, the efforts …
Apr 15
California’s 1 percent pay 45 percent of all State income taxes
For decades, the legislature of California has pushed the envelope toward socialism, high taxes and overregulation. Now the Sacramento Bee has conducted a study of the State’s tax burden. The newspaper found that forty-five percent of the state’s income tax money comes from the top 1 percent of filers – those with adjusted gross income …
