Good intentions gone overboard?

"Government help to business is just as disastrous as government persecution... the only way a government can be of service to national prosperity is by keeping its hands off.” — Ayn Rand

Call me a wacko libertarian nutcase if you want, but the amount of government intrusion into my life is becoming overbearing. No, I’m not talking about the NSA phone scandal. I already know that every call I make is being tracked and monitored by computers. In fact, every month I get a report on exactly who I’ve called and how long I’ve talked. It’s called my phone bill.

Anyway, my problem is that, in the nanny state in which we are living, the government requires an endless number of licenses designed for our protection. Some are worthwhile. I wouldn’t see a doctor that didn't have a medical license. And there’s enough bad drivers out there even with the proper drivers license.

But then you need a license to go hunting and fishing. You need a license to get married. You even need a license to own a dog. Each year I fork over my $20 because I do like my dog, but what do I get in return? Nothing. Wouldn’t we all love to be in a business where you don’t provide any kind of service, but if people failed to pay you could take them to court? (It’s kind of like professional football teams requiring season ticket holders buy PSL’s or Personal Seat Licenses, which essentially require fans to pay for the right to buy tickets. The actual tickets cost extra.)

It’s even worse for small business, with the amount of red tape new business owners have to get through and licenses they need to get. And some cities are now making it even harder, especially for those in the Green Industry.

The city council of Naples, FL, recently approved a law that requires landscape and lawn care companies doing business inside the city limits to earn an annual city certification. The goal of the certification is to limit the amount of pesticides and fertilizers that drain into ditches, canals and eventually flow to places like Moorings Bay and Naples Bay, causing pollution problems.

According to the local papers, the law requires landscapers to get six hours of training on the effect of nutrients in the environment, landscape design and plant selection, rates and methods of applying fertilizer, and ways to minimize pests with fewer chemicals. Companies have until Sept. 30, 2007 to get at least one supervisor and 10 percent of the staff trained. The landscaper would also have to pay a $175 application fee, as well as a $50 renewal fee each year.

While we can all applaud the goal of cleaner water, the law is ridiculous and unenforceable.

Landscapers already need a license to work in Naples’ Collier County. "It might cause some confusion. If I’m a landscaper I wonder if I have to get this same certification in Collier County, should we tell them, they also need to go to the city of Naples and get another certification?" Collier County spokesperson Lisa Koehler told the local news station.

So if a company has one client in the city of Naples, that business is expected to take these classes and pay $175 up front, plus $50 each year? How is that business supposed to know they need this certification? Who is going to check? The homeowners? Are there going to be city agents in black suits and dark glasses following around landscaping trucks, and springing into action to make sure everyone’s paperwork is completely filled out?

This program is just another example of well-intentioned government intrusion that is actually going to hurt business in the end. Yes, some companies that pony up the time and cash for the certification may benefit, because the government has driven out their competition.

That’s not the way this country should be run, and not the way anyone wants to succeed in business. I think we’d all rather succeed on our own, through hard work and good customer service. And if you are still not making any money, you can start charging you clients an annual $500 PLL, a Personal Landscaping License, giving those customers the right to purchase future services, on top of their actual bills. What, you don’t think people would go for that?

Landscape Management Editor-in-Chief Ron Hall had a different perspective on this on our blog on June 8. Who's right? E-mail mseuffert@questex.com.