Government Licensing
(02-19-2001)

These days a person must obtain a license to drive a car, own a gun, get married, start a business, and even burn a pile of leaves in the backyard. We could wish that government licensing laws were well-meaning, but in practice they are ineffective, and they are an assault on liberty.

Consider drivers' licenses. Presumably the state wants to protect us from dangerous motorists by encouraging at least a superficial knowledge of traffic law and by requiring a brief and unrealistic driving exercise. But how many auto wrecks are caused by licensed drivers? Drivers' licenses provide a handy revenue stream for the state, and they increase citizen tracking and identification, but a piece of plastic-coated paper does not protect people from reckless drivers.

In the same way, gun licenses have not ended violent crime, marriage licenses have not stopped foolish marriages, and business licenses have not eliminated fraudulent enterprises. Instead, these licensing programs have wasted time and resources on bureaucratic hurdles over which the average citizen dutifully jumps.

We should realize that governments cannot protect us from ourselves or from every bad thing that might happen to us. Every day we choose to live with other people, we take the risk that someone will hurt us. But every day we choose to live with other people, we can take responsibility for our own actions and seek to make our world a better place with God's help. We certainly do not need a license for that.