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Licensing Computer Techs As TV Repairmen
An anonymous reader writes "According to a story in yesterday's New Orleans paper, the Louisiana Radio and Television Technicians Board has sent letters to computer techs demanding fees to license them as radio and TV repairmen. Apparently, as computers drive more home theater applications, the board is trying to classify them as 'playback and recording device equipment,' which the law gives the board power to regulate. It looks more like a money grab, though, since no test is required, just $55 and an affidavit." It seems to me the better question is not whether computers can be defined in many circumstances as playback and recording equipment (hard to get around), but whether this kind of forced classification makes sense in the first place. Disingenuous quote of the day: "We're not trying to swing our arm around a whole bunch of people to get new revenue."
and most TV repairmen can't fix computers.
It's obviously a way to try to grap money.
LK
"Hi. This is my friend, Jack Shit, and you don't know him." - Lord Kano
Technically, in California you have to be a licensed appliance and electronics repair person already. It's just not enforced (that wouldn't go over well in San Jose). I wish I had time to find a better link to source, but here's a link.
US Democracy:The best person for the job (among These pre-selected choices...)
It works both ways, A+ for the TV guy and TV license for computer tech.
Nothing against tv repair men, it is a very technical skill in many respects, but i didnt pay $28,000 for 4 years of school to be registered as a tv repair man.
It follows a disturbing pattern of "licensing for no purpose" that has been firmly established as standard operating procedure in this country for decades. We license driving, marriage, fishing, hunting, and now WORKING? What's next? An oxygen license? I hope plenty of IT workers stand up and say "hell no" in a massive act of civil disobedience. For that matter, let the TV and radio guys do it too!
There is a difference between "insightful" and "inciteful" other than spelling.
Of course, the idea of licensing TV repairmen is neither more nor less insane than the idea of calling computer repairmen TV repairmen. All it accomplishes is to restrict the supply and drive up the prices, hurting the very public it was ``supposed to protect''.
See what I've been reading.
Like this isn't what will happen anyway.
I don't want knowledge. I want certainty. - Law, David Bowie
For those of you,
Who are staring down the double barreled outsourcing monster you might want to consider a talent for fixing TVs as a godsend.
I mean, who in their right mind is gonna ship a 60 inch plasma TV to india for repair? Gotta be done locally, get the drift....
Plus, from everything I've ever seen those TV repair guys make some pretty good dough while getting to play with all kinds of electronic gadgetry.
Caution: Contents under pressure
http://www.2theadvocate.com/stories/071504/opi_edi 2001.shtml
and penalize you for failure to do so..
every day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
What specific actions constitute a "repair"?
Backing up a hard drive?
Swapping one hard drive for another?
Swapping one hard drive for another because the first had failed?
Re-installing Windows?
Replacing Windows with Linux?
Modifying the Windows registry?
Unplugging one mouse and plugging in another?
Brushing dirt from the lens of a (optical) mouse?
Moving files around?
There are so many ways that a computer can "break" that don't require getting out your soldering iron... I'd think it'd be difficult to differentiate between someone who "repairs" computers and someone who "supports" computers.
just my anecdotal, but I've been to two differnt TV repair shops in the past two years,once for a monitor repair (not worth it cost wise but possible) and once for a vcr part (unobtanium) both places had stacks of computers and monitors in them, and the guys there did all manner of repairs, in fact, more repairs on computers (real repairs, not just component swapping) than the average whitebox shop I have been in. I found both the guys to be quite hip and knowledgeable computer users and techs. They got into the biz because they loved gadgets and had the attitude and aptitude for it, so it's a simple transition to working on boxes. One came from a dotmilgov tech background, the other from a hobbyist to a civvie tech school background.
FWIW
Recectly, the state of Minnesota decided that only Certified Electricians can legally install low voltage electrical cable, which includes network and alarm system wiring. Here's http://www.mwpersons.com/articles/3-12-01-licensin g.htmlone man's story with a link to the relevant code. Gotta make sure those network cables don't electrocute anybody.
I'm already running for office (3rd time), and I'm the county chair of a political party (not the Republicrats). And now to address your points...
Driver's licenses do not do anything to ensure safe driving. Not wanting to get into an accident ensures safe driving. Not wanting to get cited or hauled to jail ensures safe driving. How does paying a couple of dollars every few years (with no testing) ensure that I drive safer? It doesn't. I would personally feel safer if the truly unsafe drivers (speeding to excess, reckless driving, DUI, etc.) were thrown in jail for extended periods. Maybe it would discourage the bad behaviours.
Marriage licenses were originally meant to prevent inter-racial marriages. I prefer the system of common law marriage as a license is a permit to do something that would otherwise be illegal. When did normal marriage become illegal? I support keeping them around for people that want to quickly bypass waiting periods and such.
Fishing and hunting licenses don't make a dime's worth of difference in population control. It just ends up amounting to another case of "papers, please". Why the heck do most states require an SSN for one of those? It's just another control for the sake of control.
You're wrong on what a license is. See above: a license is a permit to do something that would otherwise be illegal. I'm very suspicious of any attempt to make something illegal and replace its legality with a licensing system.
There is a difference between "insightful" and "inciteful" other than spelling.
And yet somehow, it's still a mystery as to why the Louisiana economy has been in the toilet for 20 years...
Being in New Orleans, I got wind of this about a week ago and was amused - there's a grass roots effort to oppose this bone-headed idea. Unfortunately, this is a prime example of how chaotic and irrational the government down here is. Everything you've heard is basically true.
We spawn politicians that have the dubious distinction of removing park benches as a means to stop homeless people, school board members that spend more money on lawsuits than they do schools, a monopoly daily newspaper that all throughout 1999 referred to the year 2000 as "the millennium" with a small blurb that said, "some purists believe the millennium begins in 2001", neo-nazi state representatives, indicted governors, etc. The former governor repealed the mandatory helmet law for motorcyclists... I could go on and on... This is one messed up area... This latest fiasco is more of the same.
One of the problems I've seen in the consumer end of the computer industry is that practically anyone can call themselves a "computer technician" and fix the things. I've seen people ripped off horribly. Case in point, my wife has a friend who was told "Once there's a virus on your hard disk, it's there forever - for $200 we'll provide a new one, install all your software on it, and safely dispose of the old one". No, that's not the rip-off because I fixed the thing for her instead - the initial purchase of the system and all its pirate software was in this instance, but I've got a dozen similar tales dating back fifteen years. Registration doesn't indicate competence, but it does mean that they've needed to provide a fee and adequate identification to the state before setting out their shingle. It makes it that much more likely that in the event of a problem you can track them down. It makes it a little less likely for the more overt shonks to set up shop for a month or two then move. It's annoying for the legitimate businesses, but might under some circumstances help keep the less desirable out. Of course, then we have the ongoing problem of who is deemed "undesirable", and with computers being able to be viewed as playback or encryption devices we have a whole other can of worms.
Same thing, Libertarianism=Dog-Eat-Dog/Survival-Of-The-Fittest
l ) include 1) absence of any form of political authority; 2) Political disorder and confusion; and 3) absence of any cohesive principle, such as a common standard or purpose.
Dog-Eat-Dog/Survival-Of-The-Fittest=Anarchism
Anarchy (New Latin anarchia) is a term that has a number of different but related usages. Specific meanings [1] (http://www.yourdictionary.com/ahd/a/a0282000.htm
Sounds like a shititarian to me.
While it is true they require you to have the tax stamps, they haven't actually sold the tax stamps in a whole lot of years.
Since they never actually issue the stamps, nobody can ever be in compliance with the law. Therefore, they effectively make it illegal since they don't give you a (real) route to make it legal.
Go ahead, try and get yourself some of those stamps.
Lost at C:>. Found at C.
In the late 70's Dr Tim was arrested coming into this country with a bag of marijuana. He SUCCESSFULLY appealed his conviction, and i believe his defense was something like this:
In order to buy the stamp, i have to declare the marijuana.
But if i declare it, it is self incriminating!
Therefore, by the rights granted under the 5th amendment, you cant make prosecute me for not making a self-incriminating statement.
The supreme court found for Dr. Tim.