Joe "The Plumber" Wurzelbacher, the Republican Party's newest working-class hero from Ohio, has been ridiculed and had his private life probed since he had the nerve to confront Barack Obama about taxation last week.
For liberals, one of Joe's biggest crimes against humanity - besides apparently owing about $2,000 in back taxes - is the charge that he works as a plumber but doesn't have a plumber's license.
In Ohio Joe's not required by law to get a license before he can practice plumbing. But he need to get a license if he decides he'd rather make his living as an accountant, architect, barber, chiropractor, cosmetologist, dental hygienist, dentist, paramedic, funeral director, hearing aid fitter, insurance agent, land surveyor, lawyer, nursing home administrator, nurse, occupational therapist, optometrist, pesticide applicator, pharmacist, physical therapist, physician assistant, physician, podiatrist, psychologist, public school teacher, real estate agent, real estate appraiser, school counselor, stock broker, social worker, truck driver, veterinarian or vet's assistant.
Before Joe Wurzelbacher or anyone else wants to become Joe the Barber or Joe the Podiatrist he must first get the permission of his state government.
In fact, every occupation above is licensed in all 50 states. That means before you go to work in those fields you have to pay whatever fees, pass whatever tests and meet whatever training, education or apprenticeship requirements your home state's professional and occupational licensing boards and commissions demand -- no matter how arbitrary, absurd or onerous they are.
Unfortunately, these 33 categories don't begin to show how widespread job regulation is. According to a 2007 study by the Reason Foundation, more than 1,000 occupations are regulated to some degree by states and about 20 percent of the country's work force must obtain a license to work (up from 4.5 percent in the 1950s).
The average state licenses 92 job categories, according to study author Adam Summers. California leads with 177 -- including talent agents and librarians. Missouri has the least -- 41 -- while Pennsylvania is remarkably low with 62. Among the most idiotic examples are Maryland (fortune tellers), Louisiana (florists) and Arizona (rainmakers).
Propagandists for these regulated occupations and their captive regulators in state government both insist, as Pennsylvania does, that job licenses are necessary to protect "the health, safety and welfare of the public from fraudulent and unethical practitioners."
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