#4. Occupational Licensing
One of the least discussed forms of statism, occupational licensing has kept countless entrepreneurs and aspiring professionals from practicing their professions and making a living. Costly entrance fees and a maze of regulatory hurdles to jump through make it incredibly hard or next to impossible for people of humble origins to make a living,
However, there is a more insidious history behind the origins of occupational licensing.
Occupational licensing became institutionalized after the passage of Jim Crow Laws in the South. Naturally, these barriers were created with the purpose of keeping blacks from competing with other white professionals in the same field. Despite the elimination of Jim Crow laws, occupational licensing has stayed in place as vestige of that era. These burdensome regulations still hurt aspiring black professionals to this very day.
