With the economy in its current state, especially in blue states like Massachusetts (current unemployment 7.6%, compared with New Hampshire’s 4.9%), one would think that areas that are expanding and prospering would be encouraged.
Instead, it means that obviously there needs to be more government intervention and regulation.
For example, midwifery. More and more mothers are choosing to have their babies born at home. Say what you want about the wisdom of that choice, it’s still their choice. And that means that Massachusetts midwives are getting more common and more busy.
In a related vein (how do you think a lot of kids in Massachusetts are conceived?), Massachusetts has a thriving microbrewery industry. (I don’t drink, but if I lived there, I’d want to drink, too. A lot.) One small brewery has repeatedly won national renown — Sam Adams. But that’s because of a loophole in the laws governing breweries in the law. And when that loophole was discovered by the state, they didn’t think “damn, this is a good thing, let’s fix it so it’s legitimate,” they instead said “how did we let all these people get away without being under our tight control? We need to rein them in or shut them down!”
Remember, in Massachusetts (a wonderful exemplar of liberalism), it isn’t about succeeding. It’s about the “right people” exerting control, the “right people” getting good-paying jobs in the regulatory bodies, about the “right people” making certain they get their cut.
