Regulators Go Overboard
This is completely unfair. A comedy group that pokes fun at professional wrestling is being hit with regulations by the state of Washington as if it were a real sport:
Washington state’s Department of Licensing takes the high jinks seriously. Earlier this month, it classified the performances as “sports entertainment.” The ruling means the spoofers must meet safety regulations and could force the league to post a $10,000 bond, station medical personnel at events and buy a regulation wrestling ring.
The justification given for harassing them is that professional wrestling, which is subject to regulations, is also fake!
People sometimes ask, “What’s the harm in a regulation if it’s reasonable and all the relevant people agree to it?” Besides keeping out competition, these requirements end up being applied more broadly than was originally intended, in cases where they just don’t make sense. The group’s lawyer points out that if the regulations include them, they should also include a wide variety of activities, including swordfights in a Shakespeare production. Think of all the high school plays that would be shut down if every drama teacher had to pay thousands of dollars to the state.
I just returned from a speaking trip to Kansas City. One of the many things I talked about was my occupational licensing study. After my talk, a lady came up who serves on the State Board of Cosmetology and Barbers (or is it the other way around?). Needless to say, we disagreed on the role of licensing in society. She believes we need it to prevent the chaos that could result if there was not a board around to determine what parts of the body massage therapists can work on and what parts hair stylists (I think it was some subset of stylists that relaxes the head during a session) can work on. I am being serious here, this was her concern. She was very polite, yet passionate that government needs to tell people who can do what in these situations. It was a mixture of strange and unsettling.
Thank for keeping the blog strong while I was in Kansas City, Sarah!
Comment by David Stokes — March 25, 2009 @ 3:46 p.m.
Thanks, Dave. I’m glad there isn’t a board out there telling bloggers what to write about, what font size to use, what to listen to on the radio while they’re writing…
Comment by Sarah Brodsky — March 25, 2009 @ 4:39 p.m.
I was listening to sportstalk radio the other day, and one of the hosts brought up the New Hampshire seat belt issue. The host said he thought it wasn’t the government’s place to punish people for not wearing seat belts. His co-host disagreed, as did all of the callers they talked to (maybe 3). The co-host and the callers all said, basically, that since it’s stupid to not wear a seat belt, how can someone be against seat belt laws? No one seemed to even acknowledge the host’s point that an individual should be free to make his own decisions, even bad ones, if those decisions affect only the individual. It was dismaying. One caller even used the old, “if you smash your head in, we all have to pay your medical bills” argument. No details given on whether the caller and the host were shareholders in the same mutual insurance company.
Comment by Mike S. — March 26, 2009 @ 2:58 p.m.