Outrage: Good samaritan gives free haircuts to the homeless
Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Shoshana Weissmann and C. Jarrett Dieterle of the R Street Institute explain:
“Of late licensing laws have begun incorporating dubious education requirements. The District of Columbia is in the process of requiring day-care workers to possess an associate’s degree, and Tennessee recently passed a law making a high-school diploma a prerequisite for a barber’s license. Education requirements can be a Catch-22: In 19 states, occupational licensing boards can suspend licenses for falling behind on student-loan payments—making it impossible to earn money and catch up on the payments.”
“Licensing requirements aren’t the only local laws that harm the poor and struggling. In 2012 then-Mayor Michael Bloomberg banned food donations to New York City’s homeless shelters on the ground that the food might be salty, fatty or otherwise unhealthy. In 2013, Louisiana health officials ordered the destruction of 1,600 pounds of deer meat donated by hunters to a local shelter, though it was processed at a state-certified slaughterhouse.”
“Policy makers looking to highlight the deleterious effects of regulations often focus on entrepreneurs. But the unintended consequences often fall most heavily on the disadvantaged. The government is supposed to provide needy citizens with a safety net, not ensnare them in a web of red tape.”
The Wall Street Journal piece tells about a shoe shine man and a florist who were shut down because of lack of a state license.
