We read that licensure is a failure because the licensing agency runs the licensing. That doesnt make licensing a bad idea (if you believe that, don't bother to require your teen to have one before driving). It makes quasi-official bodies which are really medieval guilds a bad idea. So, don't ever let professional act as gatekeepers to their profession. Because they will always try to keep competition out. Saying that something is a bad idea due to the shoddy implementation would kill every idea. Almost always they are given a first shoddy implementation (remember early personal computing? Remember early Windows?) The TROUBLE is that we get a shoddy implementation and then it never gets fixed because we're told "it's this or nothing".
Good ideas deserve multiple efforts to fine tune them. Licensing critical fields is necessary and deserves our attentiont to make it work. Otherwise, lets let unlicensed lawyers, doctors, teachers, etc work and let heaven sort out the victims. (I want parents to be licensed...and NOT by other loser parents) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * I don't think it is lack of education that holds minorities back in the workplace. I've worked with people of marginal education. What may set them apart from the earnings-challenged minority is their ability to fit into environments where the opportunity exists. Fitting in is NOT a function of ambition or brains. I'm a highly motivated person with energy and a degree and I often have trouble fitting in. No, what it REALLY requires is subduing one's ego so as not to be perceived a problem spot on the roster. Think of Isaiah Rider. Here was a guy who OOZED talent. But he just couldnt help getting himself in trouble again and again. Why was that so necessary? My personal theory was that he grew up where it wasnt enough to have a great jump shot. You had to be BAAAAAAAAAAAAAD. And to be so perceived, you had to skirt the edge of trouble for the thrill of it. You had to drink, hit on women, be mouthy, etc. Well, just stand around and observe the tribal behavior of a lot of minority youth. It is the same ethos that Rider had. Something like it got Randy Moss in hot water recently. Randy showed he had an instinct for success by several actions taken in the midst of his troubles. Isaiah didn't and he's gone. This isn't an educational issue. This is a cultural issue. The people who hand out the goodies in this society have a limited tolerance for the disruptive individual (I'm one, so take my word for it). You can get a PhD and find yourself underemployed unless you are an entrepreneur who doesnt need anyone's approval. Seymour Cray got away with a lot because he was such a genius they needed him more than he needed them. But that doesnt fit about 99 percent of minorities. They have social needs they can't admit. They can't be one down for even a second, so they will find the slope on their hill to success is steeper than their neighbor's. This isn't really about being DUMB either. It is about being unable to transcend the unfortunate culture into which you were born. Colin Powell did it. Clarence Thomas and Ron Brown did it. But they are too few to redress the income disparity. __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now. http://mailplus.yahoo.com _______________________________________ Minneapolis Issues Forum - A City-focused Civic Discussion - Mn E-Democracy Post messages to: mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Subscribe, Unsubscribe, Digest, and more: http://e-democracy.org/mpls
