I’m not sure I’m against that…if we could start with print pundits first. That should thin the herd.
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That seems like overkill for blogging but a perfectly reasonable solution to online newspaper comments.
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Isn’t it funny how a proposal to tax capital gains is an assault on the very roots of American Free Enterprise, while armed agents of the state throwing people into jail for attempting to offer goods and/or services apparently isn’t?
(This is not to say that allowing unlicensed operators in some situations is actually a good idea, just that it’s a bit sick to see the disparity in outrage between the two situations.)
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A friend was considering moving to southern California and his wife mentioned that it would be nice to have room to work in a little garden. The host was horrified and told them “White people don’t do gardening here!”
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Don’t do the crime if you can’t do the time.
Many underground trades persons might be collecting insurance claims for disability or on social assistance (or other former of financial support) AND NOT claiming the ‘side job’s’ too the “Money supplier”. Which is just as dishonest as a politician dipping into the public trough for personal gain without taxation.
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Just today, my buddy snapped this pic of the tree trimmer his wife hired unbeknownst to him. He fired him immediately. I’m a Pipe Fitter and had to take an OSHA 30 class, in there, they told us ONE HALF of falls off of a six foot ladder are fatal. This guy was on two ladders tied together, about 40’ up. My first instinct when he posted this pic to Facebook was that it was a pic he took when he was in SE Asia for the past month, not at his house.
New user, no rights to post images, although I’m not a newb, just forgot my old login credentials.
But there’s a definite need for licensing and policing of these “businesses.”
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If someone wants too do something with enough desire, they might sacrifice too save for that important item they need or want too purchase. Unless they desire too hide their financial gain and create insurance liability for others. All in the honest name of making sweet wonderful money , under the radar.
Jail is too go for them. Although the penal industry could use a few more souls.
You could probably catch them parking illegally, too.
The better part of that…that top one is a folding ladder.
That’s some serious DIY right there.
Jesus, what benighted neighborhood were they in at the time? Brentwood?
I can’t speak for the 0.01%, but plenty of other people (white and otherwise) garden in Southern California. Lots of white faces and grubby fingernails in the Garden Department at the Home Depot, or skulking around the nurseries. With our climate it’s a perfectly pleasant activity and a richly rewarding hobby.
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I think it was La Jolla
Sounds like California doesn’t have enough drug users to keeps its for-profit prisons full, and their managers and investors well-paid.
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Ha! Yeah, that sounds about right.
OK… unlicensed contractors can be a danger to themselves and others. However, is it cheaper to give them a trial, imprisonment, and fines they cannot pay, only to be released back into welfare and the underground; or, to give them a leg up on the basic tools and training they would need to complete these jobs legitimately?
That’s a chicken/egg argument. The only way that the government could fairly give these people help would be to give all contractors help. Why would I want to pay all the fees upfront if the state was willing to “help me out” if I was caught doing it illegally? So the state does help everyone and lowers the barrier to entry to a very low level…of course in doing so they are cutting any revenue they receive from the licensing of the contractors. It’s overall a loose/loose situation, the state/city receives less revenue and now there is an excess of contractors. The only people that might win would be the consumer, but it’s likely with excess competition that work quality vs. price might not be so good.
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The apartment complex behind my Pasadena home hired some random guys to cut down two trees that were on their property but overhanging my yard. Leaving aside the fact one dude was chainsawing the top off the tree with no more safety equipment than a bandana, they did damage to my fence, my patio furniture (destroyed my hammock by dropping half the tree onto it), and my lawn. And they trespassed all over my property without even asking - I had to call the police because they wouldn’t leave my yard when I asked them to.
I was unable to recoup the cost of any of the damages from the apartment complex, and since this wasn’t an actual landscaping company I couldn’t get anything from the guys, either.
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If there are already too many contractors, there are presumably other needs they could be getting training for. The state’s choice is to either search for something they can do or consign them to being a drag the rest of their lives.
As someone else already pointed out, we aren’t talking about the high school kid mowing the lawn. Reason.tv, which this is coming from, puts a libertarian slant on this sort of thing, but the other side of it are the rip-off artists who typically target the elderly and charge exorbitant rates for shoddy work and skip town before they can be sued. Even if they aren’t fly-by-night types, you still have unlicensed operators that do work that’s not up to code and can be nearly impossible to get a refund from.
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In my little corner of the Midwest we mock these folks by saying, “Goddam lazy Mexicans are gonna steal all the good jobs,” and then snickering at the head-nodders who take the bait.
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Licensing is like any other type of law. Sometimes it can be burdensome and ridiculous. Bad laws can and should be changed. However, licensing is absolutely necessary in certain professions to protect the integrity of the professions themselves and to also protect consumers. A license often requires that workers have a minimum base of knowledge to perform their jobs safely and carefully. A license also ensures that a business is well established and won’t vanish over night to leave consumers in trouble and without recourse.
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