James Gill: In Anything-goes Louisiana, You Need A License To Braid

 

James Gill: In Anything-goes Louisiana, You Need A License To Braid

There's no telling how many rogue hair braiders are at large in Louisiana, but common sense says they must be legion.

It takes so long and costs so much to get the license required by state law that a great deal of twisting and interweaving of hair must take place on the q.T. We are told that health and safety require extensive training and licensure, but, if that were true, reports of tonsorial disaster in unsanctioned salons would have been commonplace by now. 

What we have herein is restraint of trade masquerading as a public benefit.

The problem is by no means restricted to Louisiana; it is in the nature of administrative law that busybodies knee deep in conflicts of interest will muscle in on the state boards that license and regulate businesses.

Established practitioners generally run those boards, because they are the most qualified to do so and outsiders seldom have an incentive to get involved anyway. Thus, dentists will control dentistry, and gumshoes will decide who is allowed to set up as a private detective.