From the land of my birth:
Working its way through the Florida legislature is a bill that would reduce regulations on 20 professions. A provision in the bill to eliminate a requirement for interior design licensing is raising hackles across the state and country. Free-market advocates are arguing that deregulation is a liberty issue and members of the establishment interior design community contending that licenses keep patrons safe.
What harm can come from a bad color scheme you may ask? Well according to one color splasher 88,000 deaths annually:
Ninety people signed up to speak at Wednesday’s hearing about HB 5005, including dozens of interior design students who fought back sobs as they talked about worrying they had wasted time and money on degrees. Others highlighted the potential for bad design to result in materials being used for weapons in prisons, flooring that causes falls and fabrics that lead to death.
“Part of my job is to ensure the finishes that I select cannot be made into weapons,” Terra Sherlock, a licensed interior designer from Tallahassee, told lawmakers. “We do that in jails, and we do that in schools.”
A couple of weeks ago, Tampa interior designer Michelle Earley told the House Business and Consumer Affairs subcommittee her expertise means she knows to avoid fabrics that contribute to the spread of hospital-acquired infections.
“By not allowing interior designers to be specialists and focus on the things they do, what you’re basically doing is contributing to 88,000 deaths every year,” she said.
Economic liberty won out over rainbows and unicorns and the bill passed. The “professional interior designers” are none too happy. Check out their header image. I’ve seen better designs drawn by a kindergartener.
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