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North Carolina tells retired engineer he can't talk about engineering

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Re: North Carolina tells retired engineer he can't talk about engineering

#351
post #191

Earlier quoted context omitted.

According to their website, there are 15.5 FT employees. I don't consider healthy adults getting paid to do meaningless work a benefit to society.

I understand that 95% of American defense is a jobs program. Let's fry the bigger fish first.

By what metric? About 25% of the military budget is in salaries, and a professional military has to be paid whether or not they're in combat.

Re: North Carolina tells retired engineer he can't talk about engineering

#352

Earlier quoted context omitted.

According to their website, there are 15.5 FT employees. I don't consider healthy adults getting paid to do meaningless work a benefit to society.

It can function as a jobs program, giving living wages to more people, and letting them spend their salary back into the economy. But it would be nice if jobs programs produced more benefit.

There's plenty of work of more value than pumping gas that would give people a living wage and put a lot more back into the economy. Right now it's a drain on the economy, albeit miniscule compare to the whole. Either way, it drives up prices and costs of operation. A jobs program should at least have some benefit beyond being an indirect tax on everyone. Otherwise we might as well just take the same people and pay them to dig holes they fill in the next day while letting people buying gas get through the process a little faster without having to wait for a spare attendant at a busy station. It's always frustrating to pull up to a station with 12 pumps and just 1 or 2 attendants on a busy day as a dozen cars lined up behind the ones at the pumps. Then have to wait 10 minutes just to get the pump started in your own car.

And all I can think about are the two attendants running back & forth trying to get as many pumps going as they can, running ragged for a completely bogus reason. Then sometimes the attendants don't even try and the wait is longer, yet those are making the more rational choice of not driving themselves crazy making shit money for a worthless task.

Re: North Carolina tells retired engineer he can't talk about engineering

#353

What a fascinating case. There are so many details in such a short articles that is each worth its own discussion! Let’s start with my personally theory that hopefully won’t color all of the conversation about the individual points. This guy pissed off some people and those people are using their petty power to make his life hell. It’s like the 10’s of thousands of people jaywalking without issue and then the homeles…

The guy provided expert testimony in a court. The opposition reported him to the Board of Examiners. The Board of Examiners requires a PE license for those who provide expert testimony. He is going to get to pay the fine. " Is giving a speech about how to treat a broken bone considered ‘practicing medicine’? " Giving the speech in a court, on the witness stand, under oath, claiming to be an expert in treating broken…

>"Giving the speech in a court, on the witness stand, under oath"

The right and duty of every citizen, what's your point? The oath obligates you to tell the truth, people testify about fraud and murder without being experts.

Re: North Carolina tells retired engineer he can't talk about engineering

#354
post #259

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That economists and libertarians hate that cosmetologists have to be licensed is what convinced me they aren't serious thinkers. Because hepatitis is real. Same deal with an acupuncturist.

Food poisoning is real too, and I got a food handling certificate online in 20 minutes for about $20. Is cosmetology that much more complicated (safety-wise; incompetence has its own consequences, same as in the restaurant industry) than food handling? I really have no idea. It does seem like quite a few of the things that require licenses in Texas would be just as safe with a certificate and random inspections (like…

Most people cook daily, but have you ever used an autoclave?

Re: North Carolina tells retired engineer he can't talk about engineering

#355

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Acupuncture is snake oil, but I would very much prefer knowing that my acupuncturist has been checked out by someone qualified to check their skills. Just because it's snake oil doesn't mean that there are not expectations around its safety and application.

Then go to one that has some kind of recommendation or badge of acupuncture quality. Why should the government do that?

I dunno, why does government do fire safety?

Re: North Carolina tells retired engineer he can't talk about engineering

#356

What a fascinating case. There are so many details in such a short articles that is each worth its own discussion! Let’s start with my personally theory that hopefully won’t color all of the conversation about the individual points. This guy pissed off some people and those people are using their petty power to make his life hell. It’s like the 10’s of thousands of people jaywalking without issue and then the homeles…

> Shit I have to run but hope to return to this conversation to discuss the other fun questions raised.

Off-topic, but I really love that you contributed a healthy starting point for conversation with a few great observations, then left us waiting for more. People have lots to talk about with what you started, you've piqued interest in the rest of your analysis, and I'm curious about why you had to leave.

Glad you didn't abandon your comment or edit out that you've taken away so much more than you let on.

Re: North Carolina tells retired engineer he can't talk about engineering

#357

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you want a jobs program, do something for the crumbling infrastructure in Oregon. Actually provide value to the society . Pumping gas is a giant waste of tax dollars and it is not preparing the populace for better jobs - it is the equivalent of flipping burgers. It is the worst possible way to create a 'jobs program'.

I've lived in Oregon most of my life, and while I think the law is basically pointless and would love to have it revoked, it doesn't waste any tax dollars. It just makes running a gas station more expensive

> It just makes running a gas station more expensive

Not quite right: It makes buying gas more expensive.

The state of Oregon could, instead, increase gas taxes by a few cents and devote that wealth to some other economic activity. The net result of the law is waste.

Re: North Carolina tells retired engineer he can't talk about engineering

#358

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You know, that gas-pumping law comes up for vote every few years, and each time it’s re-approved. For the most part, people like it.

Personally, I love it and will vote to continue it every time. Do not mind if it is a jobs program. People need the work. Rain sucks. Handling gas sucks. I get to catch up on a text, queue a show up for driving and pretty much never mind a wait.

Don't you think there's some other job they could be doing that benefits society more?

Re: North Carolina tells retired engineer he can't talk about engineering

#360
This is a one-sided article written by the lawyers of the plaintiff. I don't care to know the rest of the story, so I don't have a worthy comment to make regarding the merits of the free speech argument in the article; however, professional licensing exists for very good reasons, and this article isn't a reason that it should all go away, as many folks here seem to have concluded.
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