I'm not European, and maybe this is why I struggle to understand this, but why do people want regulators to say, "This doesn't comply with our regulations, so you aren't allowed to use it ?" I understand the hope is that companies will comply rather than forego the entire European market, but if they don't, the last consequence is ultimately on the consumer, not the company. It seems like the same type of thing as wh…
I want to have the podunk builder build my house however I want. What is with all those pesky building codes! Because they (the government) think it is the minimum required for a dignified, safe society. And they are placed in a position of power and must make those judgment calls, because that is their job. Why would people want that? Because they understand, in general, that government is important and don't want a…
Ha, this is a naïve view of it. In the US, this is only kinda-sorta true. Building permits can often be a lucrative source of income for the city and sleazy inspectors who often come out without the faintest idea of what they are looking at.
It often turns into holding previously-recognized rights captive and selling them back for cash. People get angry real quick.
(My father owns a small business in fireplaces. The inspectors often are idiots, and the city charges hundreds of dollars, sometimes more. Total grift we have to suck up. So much so they sometimes ask us what to look for. I doubt the inspectors have stopped any residential fires, ever, in some of these cities.)