“And why should government officials be able to exercise such power and control? If they believe people are violating rules (whether wise rules or the ever-expanding web of stupid ones), let them prove their point in front of courts that might or might not uphold the charges. Does that sound more difficult? Good.
It should never be easy to deprive people of their liberty or their means of making a living.
But government officials want to be able to punish people without jumping through hoops or risking push-back. They like a permission society, in which offending the powerful can result in the revocation of grants of privilege without formality or delay. A system of privileges rather than rights puts everybody at risk of officials’ pleasures, if it doesn’t drive them underground.
That’s good enough reason to get rid of licensing requirements.”