Soldier of fortune fights job-licensing sham

If anyone doubts that occupational licensing exists purely to protect the occupations, not the public, they only need to look at the results of a recent Mesa City Council meeting.

Someone on the city staff had wisely realized that licensing of fortunetellers – yes, those people using playing cards with dangerous sharp edges – was really silly and put it on the “consent agenda” to be repealed. (The consent agenda is for issues on which everyone obviously agrees and on which no discussion is needed.)

But when this came up for repeal, there was a surprising objection. Two fortunetellers demanded that the city retain its regulation because, they said, charlatan fortunetellers out there put the reputation and credibility of licensed fortunetellers in risk.

This sounds silly, but it is exactly the same situation with all occupational licensing. It is promoted to protect the public but really is to protect the professions.

How about considering it your good “fortune” that I am “telling” you about this and doing something to end these ridiculous laws?

ROY MILLER

Phoenix

Legal, illegal immigrants are worlds apart

Not too long ago, I heard someone say something that I have heard repeated many times. And, each time I hear it, I feel more and more like I am captain of the Titanic, my helmsman is steering toward the iceberg, and my first officer is worried about which way the deck chairs are facing.

Suffice it to say, I am about to embark on an exercise in futility.

What is being said is, “Weren’t your grandparents or your forefathers immigrants? Don’t we all come from immigrant families?”

Yes, my grandparents were immigrants, and, yes, most Americans can trace their family trees back to immigrants – people who came here to escape wars and religious persecution and, in some cases, even starvation.

But here’s the point I am having a problem getting through to so many:

In the case of my own family who came to America after World War I, when they arrived in New York Harbor, they disembarked on Ellis island and went through all the legal channels, jumped through all the hoops, did whatever it took to become legal citizens of the United States. They even attended English classes in church basements.

When my grandfather took a job, it was in the building trade. They gave him a pick and a wheelbarrow filled with wet cement and told him to build a bridge! My grandmother worked in a sweatshop.

Keep in mind, too, there was no unemployment insurance, there were no food stamps, there was no welfare, there was no Medicaid. There were only more bridges to be built, more Army uniforms to be sewn and oh, yes, eight mouths to feed.

These people weren’t merely immigrants. These people were a proud people whose purpose for coming to America was to raise their children in a land of opportunity. And they knew that would mean contributing their sweat and blood and, when America again went to war, sending their own sons to fight for what they believed in: a free America.

These people believed that adversity was the diamond dust heaven polishes its most precious jewels with.

GABE RENZO

Dearborn Heights, Mich.

(formerly of Mesa)

These letters to the editor appear online and not in the Tucson Citizen’s print edition.

This entry was posted on Thursday, July 10th, 2008 at 12:00 am and is filed under Opinion. Tags for this post: Editorials, Opinion-Editorials. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.