Seems like you need a license for everything these days. Some folks may think that’s a good thing. After all, licenses are there to protect us, right? Keep us safe, right? Another way for the government to “nanny” us, right?
Well, I have a question. Once they start issuing licenses, how does the government know when to stop?
For instance, if licensing is such a good idea, why not require more of them? Why not have an endless stream of licenses?
Why not require a licence for everything?
“Ridiculous!” you say?
Well recently I came across a situation that has me worried. I’m worried the government is headed that way. It appears we’re headed towards a world where you’re going to need a license to do … ANYTHING and EVERYTHING!
Here’s what happened …
Sorry sir, but we don’t have a licence for that …
“We can’t possible eat all this food, can you please box it up for us?” asked my dinner guest at a local restaurant. He ordered a ton of food as a research project to understand his competition. He’s in the restaurant business and my family was invited along to assist with testing the food. Even though we were there to help out, there’s no way we could eat all the food. So, my guest asked for a “doggie bag.”
The response back from the server floored me, “Sorry sir, but we don’t have a license for that!”
I was stunned. I thought, “Since when do you need a license for a doggie bag? When did that legislation come in?”
We questioned her sincerity, thinking maybe she was joking, but the lady was adamant; she wouldn’t budge, no-can-do.
So, is there such a law? Don’t really know, but it wouldn’t surprise me. These days it seems like there’s a law against everything. And, you need a license to do anything.
When our server came back to collect payment, I couldn’t resist having a bit of fun. We had the stack of cash sitting in the payment tray and before she reached over to take it I asked, “Do you have a license to accept payment?”
She laughed and took the money away.
But, the question is valid. Where does it end?
Here’s a few goofball examples to consider …
You’re downtown having a conversation with a friend and a policeman approaches you and asks, “Do you have a license to talk in the downtown area?”
You walk into the bank and begin your conversation with the teller by giving her a great big smile. She responds by asking, “Do you have a license to smile?”
Again, I ask, where does it end? Where does this license insanity take us? When are people going to stand up and say “STOP IT! WE’RE DONE! WE’VE HAD IT!”
I’m waiting for a phone call from some government official asking, “Do you have a license to criticize the issuing of licenses?”