Interior designers and the economic freedoms YOU'VE lost.

**Cebelius** · 01-18-12, 07:41 PM

At least, if you live in Florida:

Does the Constitution Protect the Unenumerated Right to Economic Liberty? - Hit & Run : Reason Magazine

**deathgodusmc** · 01-18-12, 08:00 PM

Good luck with that. Plenty of us have to have a license that essentially does nothing. Besides the license doesnt cost that much. Not that i wouldnt like to see that shit go away but it will never happen. Florida is raising fees for everything to keep itself afloat while every individual in it is sinking.

**Cebelius** · 01-18-12, 08:20 PM

Well aside from the general dismissal of our constitutional freedoms, I've got no dog in that race. I just thought I'd mention it as one more brick in the wall, as they say.

I'm actually quite eager to see how they punish these rogue interior designers. Will they make homeowners put those ugly fcking mauve drapes back? :P

**deathgodusmc** · 01-18-12, 08:24 PM

You would have probably enjoyed me losing my fucking mind when they told me as of last year i have to register my name. Not that it was some huge deal but i was not happy at having to spend an additional 125 bucks for no god damn reason other then florida wanted another way to kill small business.

**Cebelius** · 01-18-12, 08:27 PM

Central America is the new United States when it comes to economic freedoms and business friendly environments. Learn some Spanish, grab a colorful shirt and a straw hat, and head down south. I've been contemplating a home in Costa Rica for years.

**deathgodusmc** · 01-18-12, 08:28 PM

There really isnt a damn thing the state can do to anyone. Even if you fuck up something thats why you have mandatory liability insurance. Certain businesses can be hit with fines but 99% of the time any fines issued will be by the epa or osha. Mechanic shops are the main exclusion because of the manadatory written estimate law.

**deathgodusmc** · 01-18-12, 08:30 PM

Originally Posted by Cebelius

Central America is the new United States when it comes to economic freedoms and business friendly environments. Learn some Spanish, grab a colorful shirt and a straw hat, and head down south. I've been contemplating a home in Costa Rica for years.

I hear that shit. It crossed my mind a few times. I even talked to the wife about moving to the bahamas. This ship is at a 45 degree tilt and the politicians are bringing water in by the barrel.

**CivilWars** · 01-18-12, 09:40 PM

Belize...

**SpecOpsScott** · 01-18-12, 10:01 PM

No ones rights are being denied here. If this Damon Root chap had the slightest hint of what a professional interior designer does, and the the damage that can be cause by one that is not trained in all aspects of the trade, he might change his tune. Perhaps he would like an unlicensed HVAC tech to clean his furnace, im sure he would be so proud of that techs economic rights as he lay recovering from CO poisoning in the hospital. Not to say that an unlicensed worker is and unskilled worker, but the license insures that the person you hire has met some degree of standards for the industry.

And we are not talking about interior decorators here, but designers that are instrumental in not only cosmetic but also structural changes to homes and businesses.

Licensing of this and many other occupations, as much as it may seem a money grab by the state, are there to protect the people that utilize the skills of said trademan/woman.

**Cebelius** · 01-19-12, 10:08 AM

Originally Posted by SpecOpsScott

Licensing of this and many other occupations, as much as it may seem a money grab by the state, are there to protect the people that utilize the skills of said trademan/woman.

While that may be true, it isn't sufficient justification to enforce de jure certification before someone is allowed to practice a craft or trade. The freedoms that have been lost here are precisely those freedoms that allow us not only to practice our craft without interference from the state, but our ability as consumers to choose who we wish to bring our business to.

Telling me that it's illegal to hire someone to help me rebuild my backyard fence unless that person is a licensed contractor is the height of stupidity. Similar arguments can be made for interior design, and if the circumstance comes to pass that damage is done because a contractor did the job wrong, how is the situation changed AT ALL by whether or not the person had a fcking card issued by the state?

The state is notorious for issuing these things called Driver's licenses that are supposed to ensure that the person behind the wheel knows something about what the hell he/she/it is doing. That doesn't seem to be preventing people from getting into colossal cock-ups on the road every single minute of every hour of every day.

The tradesperson him/herself is no more protected by a scrap of paper issued by the state. The state doesn't then cover damages done by that tradesperson in the event those damages occur... it just lets THE STATE collect more money from the trade if that person DIDN'T have the scrap of paper. Likewise the consumer is entitled to no additional REAL benefit from being FORCED to take business to a select group of circus monkeys who've jumped through the proper hoops to get a damn card instead of someone else. If there's a voluntary cert and people choose to trust that cert that's perfectly legitimate... state certifications almost by definition are money grabs, not proof of skill in craft. They just mean you've STARTED to practice a craft by jumping through legal hoops, not that you can do the job right.