Should you need government permission to work?

Our friends at the Institute for Justice have produced a new report on occupational licensing. This is something that Milton Friedman often criticized as an unfair effort by incumbents in a particular profession to raise their own pay by reducing competition.

According to this chart, New Mexico licenses approximately half (52) of what IJ calls “low-income occupations.” This is somewhat above average in terms of over-regulation. These are not doctors and lawyers, rather, many of the professions are as simple as being an interior designer, hairdresser, or some other profession that cannot harm anyone even if performed poorly.

Look for more from the Rio Grande Foundation on the issue of unnecessary government regulation in the near future. Also, there is a great video on the issue below: