[AnthonyMouse]

Ironically it's more often governments that interfere with this. Go to the library and read some books and you can learn how to be a plumber or an electrician, buy a toolbox and you're on your way. Presumably there is some kind of licensing exam?

No, first you've got to find an existing tradesperson and apprentice under them, even if you could already pass the exam on your own. For a few weeks is it? Years, typically. To become a journeyman. Still can't work for yourself, now you have to work under them for a few more years.

Figure out how to file papers for an LLC. Maybe you need a lawyer. Tax accounting will be fun too. Do any of the cities you operate in have a different sales tax rate? Which of your business expenses can be deducted in the current year and which have to be depreciated? Is that the same for things you resell?

Guess what happens if you want to move to another state.

[robertlagrant]

It's not ironic - governments are the main source of power behind protectionism in all its forms. More regulations are good for incumbents.

[AnthonyMouse]

More regulations as determined with a tape measure across the law library, sure. Each rule is another cost of entering the market.

The hard part is how to take a scalpel to them. Okay, 95% of them are inefficient, granted. Which 95%? You don't want the government to ban tall buildings or adversarial interoperability or to subsidize corn syrup or prohibit farmers from selling their crops or the Jones Act or rent control or de facto caps on the supply of doctors or certificate of need laws or taxi medallions. But you probably want the government to ban leaded gasoline.

So how do you get them to do the few narrow things they need to do but not all the rest of it?

[robertlagrant]

No idea. I'm just saying it's not ironic.