I could not make this up.
David Cox and his neighbors in Raleigh, North Carolina, are lobbying city and state officials to add traffic signals at two intersections as part of a planned widening of the oddly named Falls of Neuse Road.
An engineering consultant hired by the city said that the signals were not needed, but Cox performed his own analysis and produced an eight-page document with maps, diagrams, and traffic projections supporting his position.
So Kevin Lacy, chief traffic engineer for the state DOT, decided to call for the NC Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors to investigate Cox — for practicing engineering without a license.
No, he didn’t claim to be a professional — but he did produce what appears to be engineering-level work. We can’t have that.
Guess I am going to have scratch that five star meal I have planned for guests tonight. (“Where’s your restaurant license?”)
This weekend’s tutoring session for HS math students is cancelled, too (“Teaching without a license.”)
“The power to license is the power to control”
– Ch.Justice John Marshall.
No, Judge, even more: The Power to License is The Power to Destroy.
Treat the State like a loaded gun. Use carefully, and only when absolutely necessary.