-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- tcmay@netcom.com (Timothy C. May) wrote:
Again, I'm not claiming anything about PGP making conventional doctors obsolete. Just the increased freedom of a wide range of services to be negotiated electronically, without benefit of official guild approvals.
(This is an actual concern the professional organizations have. They worry about online medical diagnoses, about "unlicensed" consultants, and about data bases over which they have no jurisdiction.)
I certainly agree with your implication, that professional groups can and sometimes do use licensing to restrain trade, with an eye toward feathering their own nests. But I don't buy your other implication, that it is a Good Thing to unleash the unlicensed. Licensing serves, or should serve, a public good under the following conditions: (a) consumers don't have the information necessary to make an informed choice between professionals, and (b) it is pretty fucking important that the job be done right. Doesn't make any sense to license those who program video games. DOES make sense to license those who design skyscrapers. Now, there are ways to alleviate the consumer's lack of knowledge. In my former racket (professional nursing), there is a lot of talk about benchmarking: comparing patient outcomes at different hospitals and publicizing the results. Market forces could then react to a nice, measurable reputation. But what about new, untested, solo practitioners? What about the architect whose buildings are all going to fall down, ten years from now? Even with well-publicized reputations, the consumer doesn't have the necessary information to keep from getting hurt. In those circumstances, it's useful to have standards, and a trusted public agency that certifies a person meets the standards. - -- ______________________________________________________________________ Don Doumakes Finger doumakes@netcom.com for PGP public key Foxpro databases built to your specifications. Email me for details. -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: 2.6.2 iQCVAwUBLyWC1xtumcu2AjihAQGnRAP/UYqpg7gUpAyt7CMHgAUSApGHi9AFOJON UPns4os25F2B7op0uCdOQibbTJTUO5cjcDnpZ1VoYD00dFVN64IhoL/vYasoI1LV xm/grDW2bd4NKfOIYvbdYYwp8/BxtvCp9p8fGNksmHyWBPV017qieEo2rTHxuOWM lLwwSQYPp4o= =TW+P -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----