Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

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

ij.org

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

401–408 of 408 posts

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

#401

Post by eru »

prepend wrote: post #30
PaulHoule wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That’s one thing. Criminal charges for expressing your opinion is another. An airplane pilot is licensed and will talk trash w/ people about flying and not get in trouble unless they express an opinion like ‘i love to drink a six pack before I get in the cockpit’. Other people say what they want about aviation and unless it is something like ‘I used this one weird trick to smuggle a sniper rifle past the X ray backsc…

> Criminal charges for expressing your opinion is another. Being a paid expert witness is different than “expressing your opinion.” It’s one thing to be subpoenaed and compelled to testify and another to swear and speak authoritatively. Expert testimony “opinion” could result in people going to jail, or in this case paying large sums of money. I imagine a case of medical malpractice where an unlicensed doctor was exp…

Yes, though I wonder whether this couldn't be handled better? Courts are already organized as an adversarial system:

So let the lawyers bring in whatever supposed experts they can find, and let the lawyers from the other side poke holes at their credentials? Same procedure as with eyewitnesses, which are not usually licensed.

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

#402

Post by michaelmrose »

tablespoon wrote: post #163
lozenge wrote: post #151

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I always thought it was my desire to live that keeps me from walking into traffic despite any "distractions", but now I learn from you it was the threat of a $250 fine all along.

> I always thought it was my desire to live that keeps me from walking into traffic despite any "distractions", but now I learn from you it was the threat of a $250 fine all along. Actually, I don't think it's so much the fine itself but the sense that not crossing at a crosswalk is "wrong." The the laws against the behavior (and the penalties necessary for such a law) are there mainly to create that understanding. O…

In New York city in recent years it was found that most jay walking tickets were handed out to minorities. Either white people are more intrinsically motivated or jay walking laws aren't the primary or even a substantial factor in pedestrian accidents.

Do you have a reason beyond your gut to believe jaywalking penalties work?

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

#403

Post by PennRobotics »

jpindar wrote: post #298
timpattinson wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my experience licensing of engineers is almost exclusive to civil engineering and some other subfields. The vast majority of mechanical, electrical and software engineers will never need to be licensed. It's also possible for unlicensed engineers to work under the supervision of a licensed engineer (PE), often the PE will be the one to stamp drawings etc.

>It's also possible for unlicensed engineers to work under the supervision of a licensed engineer (PE) AFAIK, it's required as part of the process of getting a PE.

At least in Florida, there is an exception:

(from FBPE 61G15, FL Admin Code)

7. Experience should be gained under the supervision of a licensed professional engineer or, if not, an explanation should be made showing why the experience should be considered acceptable.

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

#404

Post by aliasEli »

Swenrekcah wrote: post #63
dotancohen wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> It’s like the 10’s of thousands of people jaywalking without > issue and then the homeless guy that gets arrested for jaw walking. I'll take the opportunity to branch OT. This selective enforcement has always been such a problem, has there ever been any attempt - anywhere - to address it? Such that if a citizen can demonstrate selective enforcement he can also be absolved of the same crimes that the rest of the pop…

Just the concept of “jaywalking” as a punishable offense is revolting to me.

It makes some sense that you want to have pedestrians crossing as fast as possible.

It's not an offense in my country. It is also not a term you learn in school. So when I was in the US for the first time, and had a policeman shouting "No Jaywalking", I had no idea what he meant.

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

#405

Post by brianwawok »

specialist wrote: post #230
silverpepsi wrote: post #174

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You don't have enough personal experience perhaps to know licensing is more about power and protectionist rakets than the claimed purpose. My dad was a doctor who lost his license (nothing dramatic or gossip-worthy involved). He was primarily treating opiate addicts with something called Suboxone. It is sensitive enough that the state puts a hard limit on patients you can have - 100. This means people who need the tr…

The solution to regulatory capture is to abolish regulations?

Right. Specific regulations can be bad and implemented poorly. That is a far jump from no regulations.

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

#406

Post by teachrdan »

irrational wrote: post #314
labster wrote: post #299

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You know, in all my years of driving in California speeding past “enforced by aircraft” signs, I have never once been pulled over by an airplane.

I have, though it was in Western Washington out in the middle of a long straight boring stretch of highway.

I think the comment you're replying to went over your head.

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

#407

Post by kayfox »

ivan_gammel wrote: post #376
beerandt wrote: post #289

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The judge can decide who gets to testify in his own court, but that doesn't preclude a licensing board from sanctioning the witness as practicing without a license.

>that doesn't preclude a licensing board from sanctioning the witness as practicing without a license Yes, according to the current law, which is not serving the needs of society well. If an engineer has been working for many years for a company which was not required to have a license, this is already a sufficient proof of qualification and licensing board should not be able to sanction anyone in such case. On the c…

Its very likely that he could have obtained the Professional Engineer license either while working at these industrial companies or afterwards.

He likely did not as it would be an involved process and may require insurance.

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

#408

Post by Noumenon72 »

tomc1985 wrote: post #241
Noumenon72 wrote: post #115

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If it creates jobs and doesn't do anything, it is bad, like anything else that has a cost but no benefits. Jobs are costs -- they force you to spend your life doing one thing when you could be doing all manner of other useful things. Only if your job produces useful things does that benefit outweigh the cost of having to spend your life on it.

No benefits? It keeps people off the streets and gives them something to do, pointless or not. The net benefit to society is positive, which is why it keeps getting voted for. I live in a place with a severe homeless problem. I wish these people had pointless government jobs rather than be out begging on the street.

That makes sense, thanks!
Post reply on HN