Intelligent design

Never say it’s as silly as it can get when it comes to the state finding things to protect us from. Rather than link to it — it’s short — I’m reprinting the whole thing so you can appreciate the awesomeness of the idea:

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — A state lawmaker is sponsoring a bill that would require the interior designers hired to spruce up Hoosiers’ homes and businesses to be registered in the state.

Despite the seemingly innocuous subject matter, this is at least the third year the bill has been debated in the General Assembly.

The bill’s sponsor, Sen. Dennis Kruse, has sponsored the bill for Fort Wayne businessman Paul Lagemann, who is upset with the quality of work of some Hoosier interior designers.

Kruse concedes there is no clear reason why the state should oversee interior designers. “It is not a need as much as a want of interior designers to be recognized as professional in what they do,” said Kruse, R-Auburn.

Under the change, the designers would pay fees to register with the Board of Architects within the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency, which would maintain a designer registry.

Of course they want to be "recognized as professional in what they do." The people in a profession usually end up writing their own rules when they come under state protection. Requiring licensing and fee-paying is a way to keep the riff-raff out and the prices up. It must be some kind of record for common sense that the legislature has turned this down at least twice.