It’s no secret that I have very little faith in the competence and good will of government.
I focus primarily on the fecklessness of Washington, but I also can’t resist highlighting malfeasance and stupidity by local governments, state governments, and foreign governments.
Indeed, I’ve even had to create special categories to keep track of some of the more amazing episodes of bureaucratic blundering. Here are just a few that will leave you shaking your head in disbelief.
A bizarre collection of examples showing anti-gun political correctness in schools.
A local government stupidity contest.
A bunch of supposed victories in the Drug War.
A comparison of government stupidity in the United States and United Kingdom.
A list of new “rights” concocted by governments.
A pick-the-dumbest-regulation poll.
And even a strange collection of stories about anti-Bambi persecution by bureaucrats.
Today, we’re going to add to this collection. But I’m not sure how to categorize this story. Is is a great moment in local law enforcement, like when cops bust little girls with lemonade stands, or they arrest young men for the horrible crime of saving people from drowning?
Or is it an example of the regulatory state run amok, like when the FDA conducted a raid to stop consenting adults from buying and selling unpasteurized milk, or when the Greek bureaucracy required submission of stool samples in order to set up an online company.
You’ll understand why it’s hard to decide after reading this story. The issue is (gasp!) unregulated topless hair cutting. Here’s some of what was reported by the New York Times.
A woman who allegedly offered topless hairstyling services in northern Colorado faces criminal charges. But police say the problem isn’t cutting hair without a top. …46-year old Suzette Hall was arrested Wednesday night on suspicion of practicing cosmetology without a license.
I don’t know about you, but I’m going to sleep better tonight knowing that the dangerous scourge of unlicensed haircutting in Colorado has been stifled.
Aren’t we lucky that the government is protecting us from such dangers!
Interestingly, the Rebel Barber (who is not the same person as the Rebel Economist) actually tried to comply with the government’s regulatory demands. But there was no license for her particular form of business.
Hall’s ex-husband told police she set up shop in Loveland and offered services as “Rebel Barber.” He told police she applied for “a nude license for hairstylists,” but no such license exists.
Perhaps we can get some federal legislation requiring all states to have new bureaucracies for the purposes of licensing and regulating nude hairstylists?
Actually, I shouldn’t even make that kind of joke. Some politician might take the suggestion seriously.
Better to leave such matters in the hands of local governments. That way, the potential damage is limited by borders.
Speaking of which, the politicians of Snohomish County in Washington have created special licensing rules for adult coffees shops.
Though that’s amateur hour compared to the Germans, who have figured out how to use parking meters to tax prostitutes.
In other words, governments don’t mind sex so long as they can figure out how to regulate it or tax it.
P.S. The all-time record for government incompetence was set by Fall River, Massachusetts in 2011.
P.P.S. As you might imagine, Dave Barry is very funny when he decides to mock government.
[…] their noses in all sorts of inappropriate places. Including the vital state interest of whether topless women should be allowed to cut hair without a […]
[…] their noses in all sorts of inappropriate places. Including the vital state interest of whether topless women should be allowed to cut hair without a […]
[…] their noses in all sorts of inappropriate places. Including the vital state interest of whether topless women should be allowed to cut hair without a […]
[…] their noses in all sorts of inappropriate places. Including the vital state interest of whether topless women should be allowed to cut hair without a […]
[…] their noses in all sorts of inappropriate places. Including the vital state interest of whether topless women should be allowed to cut hair without a […]
[…] in Colorado, you can get busted (no pun intended) for cutting hair while topless, but not because you’re […]
[…] final outcome was far from perfect (after all, local governments are also quite capable of wasting money). But the involvement of the private sector, combined with the fact that the local government was […]
[…] final outcome was far from perfect (after all, local governments are also quite capable of wasting money). But the involvement of the private sector, combined with the fact that the local government was […]
[…] final outcome was far from perfect (after all, local governments are also quite capable of wasting money). But the involvement of the private sector, combined with the fact that the local government was […]
[…] step to other forms of anti-social behavior. Such as snow removal without government approval. Or giving topless haircuts without a cosmetology […]
[…] in Colorado, you can get busted (no pun intended) for cutting hair while topless, but not because you’re […]
One can only shudder when one thinks of the horrible fate of people living in places where the government does not protect them from the dangers of unlicensed hair stylists. Why, in such places, just ANYBODY could become a hair stylist! People in such places must be constantly victimized by predatory fly-by-night hair stylists who don’t know the difference between bangs and bobs. The suffering must be beyond belief.
Really Dan? Hooters Girls?
Great post. Hard to imagine a world without government.
Reblogged this on Defy The Narrative.
Reblogged this on This Got My Attention and commented:
Big Government has a lot of ways to keep freedom-loving people in line.