President Obama has been using "deregulation" as a curse word since the 2008 campaign, and many liberals writing about lobbying tend to assume that all big business ever wants is deregulation.
But deregulation is often about freeing up small business from underneath the yoke of anti-competitive rules that serve mostly to protect big, existing businesses from upstart competition, thus hurting consumers and entrepreneurs.
A couple lawmakers in Minnesota want to roll back some of these regs:
The bill would allow an entrepreneur to pursue a job or career without getting licensed by the state as long as they aren’t posing a threat to public health or safety. The examples they gave include a barber, masseuse, or tree trimmer.
Jim Dolphy owned a tree trimming business in Inver Grove Heights, Minn. He stood with lawmakers during their announcement at the Capitol Monday and shared his experience with licensing requirements.
Dolphy said he had his business for five years. When a tornado hit Minneapolis in 2009, he got a lot of job calls. But because of city rules, he wasn’t allowed to work, he was forced to leave.
“The cities of Minneapolis, St. Paul and others have created a licensing law that requires a certified arborist to be on staff to be able to do business in those cities. This licensing law is ridiculous,” said Dolphy. ” A certified arborist is not required in my company for us to safely and effectively do our jobs operations.”
