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Monday, November 15, 2010
Barbershop of Statist Horror
Licensed to cut:
If you were a police detective who wanted to raid my office, you would have to go before a judge and show probable cause to believe that I was committing a crime. But because barbers in Florida (and in most states) are subject to licensing requirements, they must agree to submit to inspections on demand by the Department of Business and Professional Regulation—which can then join up with local law enforcement to conduct warrantless searches that cover matters beyond barber licensing issues. Essentially, to be a barber in Florida, you must agree to give up your Fourth Amendment rights at work.
I've tried to come up with a good rationalization for this one. Some kind of excuse a statist would give as to why this kind of enforcement is necessary, or even why you need a license to be a barber. No luck. Is a bad hair day really a matter of life and death? Orwell's image of a boot stamping a human face forever doesn't quite capture the modern nanny state. It's instead being nagged and humiliated forever.
The term "nanny state" is rather misleading. Has a bureaucrat ever given you a hug? Would you want them to? It's more like the hall monitor state, overgrown juveniles given a small bit of authority, which they then abuse. Some years back Jeremy Clarkson wrote an article about asking an American officer to use a no-loading zone in off hours. The officer said no. Why, demanded Clarkson, it was only common sense. The officer replied that when you had the law, you didn't need common sense. Officers who conduct raids on barbershops seem to share the same philosophy of life and government.
Posted by Richard Anderson on November 15, 2010 | Permalink
Comments
This sickness is spreading to all aspects in our daily lives. People elected to run our cities find it more rewarding to run our lives. They were not elected to do this but once they find they have the power they can't seem to help themselves. Must leave that legacy. Everyone before them has brought in new laws and how can they serve a term without doing the same ?. Something to proudly show the grandchildren. Mindless devotion to a personal cause seems to be the order of the day. The cause and effect aspect never seems to enter their heads and the clamor of activists seems to wipe out any common sense displayed when running for election.
All levels of government seem to be heavily influenced by activists. The common sense types remain silent or don't give a damn.
Posted by: peterj | 2010-11-15 10:11:39 PM
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