Franklin Foil’s Flowers Test
To many people, requiring difficult licensing exams in order to protect public health and safety sounds like a great idea. Who would object to requiring an exam to obtain a driver’s license? We surely do not want those who don’t know the rules of the road or cannot make a proper left turn or have vision problems sharing the road with us and with our children. We require licenses for so many things we seldom stop to ask why a license is needed.
Recently, Chad Turner penned a post that mentioned a Daily Comet editorial supporting a bill sponsored by Rep. Franklin Foil, R-Baton Rouge before the Louisiana legislature to do away with the testing requirements for the licensing of florists in Louisiana. How does having one’s floral skills tested before a panel of judges really protect the public? Professional florists are tested and judged by a far more sophisticated panel of experts, the buying public. If a florist’s arrangements are not very tasteful or artistic, people stop buying from that florist and the florist turns to a new occupation. Survival in a competitive market is a good indicator of quality.
Some years ago, a colleague of mine pointed out a “letter to the editor” sent to a New Orleans publication from someone who ran a massage therapy school. This person was trying to get legislation passed to license massage therapists, requiring, of course, training from a massage therapy school. That massage therapy school proprietor swore that he would try to make sure that all current massage therapists were grandfathered in and would not have to go back to school to continue in their profession. If current massage therapists are all qualified to rub people, then why would we need licensing to protect the public?
The real question to ask is “who is such legislation protecting, the public or those in the occupation seeking licensure?” There was never any evidence that anyone was being harmed by ill prepared masseuses. It was only Louisiana politicians, not Louisiana masseuses, that rub people the wrong way. Occupational licensure restricts the number of people entering a profession. With fewer suppliers pay is pushed up—the laws of supply and demand do not sleep. If someone is no good at a profession, they lose their job. When customers can judge quality easily and cheaply either before or after purchase, why would we need someone else to protect us?
Similarly, some years ago, CPAs in Louisiana began to require 150 hours of college, or about 2 semesters of college beyond a bachelor’s degree to even sit for the CPA exam. They do not even specify what those extra hours of coursework are. Basket weaving would be fine. What was the real reason for the stiffer requirements? New CPAs coming out of college were depressing CPA pay.
With pass rates of about 75% of the examinees, the new supply of florists is currently being cut by about 25% of its potential, boosting the pay for florists, and so, the price of a floral order. Rep. Foil’s bill encourages competition among florists and will help keep floral prices down, and so he deserves some thanks for his efforts. Perhaps some flowers would be appropriate.
-MC
