[liveoneggs]

this article makes a lot of broad assumptions ("If licensing an electrician is for public safety then...") and relatively shallow conclusions ("upholsterers need a license, wtf?") based on them.

Full of weasels without a doubt.

[Natsu]

Why did you cut off the quote? The full quote is: "If the rationale for licensing an electrician is to protect public safety, it is difficult to see what rationale supports licensing travel guides."

Moreover, the assumptions they're making are charitable. I think most people agree with licensing engineers, electricians, doctors and the like where doing their job wrong has serious consequences. But for the same reason, it's less clear what public benefit there is behind requiring florists, interior designers or ballroom dancers to be licensed in order to practice their craft.